Smoked salmon and caviar blini

Perfect party food.

The Russians sure like to party, and what other finger food can possibly top smoked salmon blinis with a bit of caviar? Serve these canapés with some champagne or prosecco and you will be delighted. If you are a bit brave and really want to rev things up, serve with a chilled shot of vodka. Nostrovia!

Blinis are small Russian pancakes and were considered to be a symbol of the sun by early Slavic people. They taste fantastic with crème fraîche and smoked salmon. I have added a little twist with some caviar on top to give it a robust salty punch when you bite through. Do not be alarmed when you hear the word ‘caviar’. I am not talking about the £200 per 100g stuff. There are several affordable alternatives out there: lumpfish caviar, salmon roe, or arënkha work just fine and usually cost less than £5 in your supermarket. So there you go, you can eat like a posh Russian without spending ludicrous amounts of money.

READY TO COOK?

1. Lay out your blinis on a large plate or platter.
2. Spoon the crème fraîche on with a tea spoon.
3. Place the smoked salmon on top and squeeze over a quarter of lemon.
4. Using a tea spoon, gently place the caviar on top of the salmon.
5. Season with black pepper.

INGREDIENTS

• 16 blinis
• 6 table spoons of crème fraîche
• 200g smoked salmon – cut into small pieces
• 25g lumpfish caviar (you can use salmon roe or arënkha)
• 1 lemon
• black pepper

Perfect party food.

Aristocrat’s breakfast

Serrano ham & Le Rustique Brie on a bed of tomatoes & basil. Side surprise of boiled egg on crispy black pudding & watercress.

Let’s take a glimps into a the world of nobility. Domina is awake and she is hungry. The lady needs something delicious but has no patience and demands to be fed now. How do we satisfy her fiery temper?

I present to you my ‘Aristocrat’s Breakfast’. Simple, healthy, and totally delicious. My trick is to use only the finest ingredients I can find from the market. Ripe juicy beef tomatoes, the best extra virgin olive oil, top quality ham from the deli, and some proper French brie.

Some people might be put off with the thought of eating black pudding. I beg you not to be so harsh on this traditional English sausage, I reckon you just never had it cooked properly. Try cooking it so it’s crispy and lightly browned on the outside. Pop the egg yolk so it streams down the pudding and the bed of crunchy watercress, this might just change your mind.

 

READY TO COOK?

1. Fill a small pot half way with water, then bring to the boil.
2. Place the eggs in gently and boil them for 5 minutes for a soft boil with a runny yolk. (Once cooked, run some cold water over the eggs to cool them down and peel the shells off).
3. While the eggs are cooking, heat up a small non-stick pan on a low heat. Add a splash of olive oil and fry the black pudding. Turn it regularly until crispy on both sides for about 5 minutes.
4. Pop your bread into the toaster and drizzle some extra virgin olive oil once it’s ready.
5. Layer the tomatoes, basil, ham, and brie on the toast.
6. In your hands, roll a ball of watercress on the side.
7. Place the black pudding onto the watercress and top off with the egg.
8. Season the dish with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper then drizzle with olive oil.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 beef tomato (or any other tomato of your desire) – cut into 1cm slices
• 4 slices of Serrano ham (or any good ham you like)
• 1 small bunch of basil leaves
• extra virgin olive oil
• Le Rustique Brie (or any mild cheese you desire) – into long thin 1cm slices
• 4 slices of seeded bread (or any bread you desire : sour dough or any freshly baked bread will taste just as awesome)
• 100g watercress (or spinach, rocket, and mixed leaves work as well)
• 4 slices of black pudding – 2cm thick
• 4 free-range eggs
• sea salt and black pepper

Serrano ham & Le Rustique Brie on a bed of tomatoes & basil. Side surprise of boiled egg on crispy black pudding & watercress.

Magpie’s smoked salmon breakfast

Guilt free and tasty way to start your day.

Smoked salmon and soft boiled eggs for breakfast? This is a wonderful way to start your busy day. A lot of cooked breakfasts are high in cholesterol and can be quite greasy coming straight out of the frying pan. If you love eggs but care for your health, try eating them boiled or poached. Rather than eating bacon or sausages which are high in fat, try some smoked salmon or smoked trout instead. Salmon is rich in omega-3 which helps lowering blood pressure. It also reduces the risk of heart problems and certain cancers. I cannot stop singing praises for the magnificent pink fish which is just simply scrumptious. Accompany it with some spinach and tomatoes, then drizzle it in fresh lemon juice and olive oil. Tasty and keeps you in good shape, what more can you ask for?

READY TO COOK? 

1. Place 2 eggs in a pot of boiling hot water for 5 minutes.
2. While the eggs are cooking, toast your bread until light brown.
3. Drizzle your toast with extra virgin olive oil and place a layer of smoked salmon on top.
4. Add the spinach and tomatoes on the side of the toast and dress with some balsamic vinegar.
5. Place the boiled eggs under some cold running water and peal the shells off, then pop them on the smoked salmon.
6. Sprinkle a pinch of paprika on the eggs.
7. Season the dish with sea salt and black pepper.
8. Serve with a wedge of lemon.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 slices of smoked salmon
• 2 free-range eggs (or any eggs you desire)
• 2 slices of thick toast (wheat or sourdough are nice choices, anything you like really)
• 1 handful of baby spinach
• 1/2 plum tomato – sliced into wedges (or any other tomato you desire)
• balsamic vinegar
• extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt and black pepper
• smoked paprika
• 1 lemon wedge

Potato latke breakfast with smoked mackerel

 

 

Breakfast delight.

I believe that breakfasts are some what under-rated. I simply love cooked breakfasts and the wide variety of things you can rustle up in the morning. This is my potato latke breakfast with smoked mackerel, boiled egg, and baby spinach.

Latkes are potato pancakes traditionally eaten by Jews during Hanukkah. They can be eaten in numerous ways and are typically enjoyed with apple sauce. Essentially a Latke is a fancy and freshly made hash brown. Latkes work so well with sour cream or smoked fish, you must try this at home!

READY TO COOK? 

1. Preheat your oven to 170ºC/340ºF/Gas 4.
2. Rinse the spinach to give them a gentle clean.
3. In a large bowl mix your grated potato and chopped up onion with a pinch of sea salt.
4. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes, then drain all the  water from the vegetables by squeezing it with your hands.
5. Whisk 2 eggs with a fork, then add it to the mixture.
6. Stir in the flour and black pepper, then put your latke mixture to the side.

1. In a small pot, fill it half full with water and bring to the boil. This will be for your boiled eggs.
2. In a frying pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and bring to a medium heat.
3. Add 1 heaped tablespoon of the potato mixture to the pan, do this one at a time and flatten them with your spoon.
4. The mixture should make about 8 latkes.
5. Fry the latkes until golden brown on each side, them place them on a baking tray and straight into the oven for 10 minutes.
6. Using the same frying pan, pour in 2cm of water and a knob of butter, bring to boil.
7. Put the frying pan onto a low heat and place your mackerel in the middle. Simmer for 5 minutes to gently warm up the fish.
8. While the fish is warming up, pop 4 eggs into the pot of hot water and boil them for 5 minutes. This will result in a runny yolk. Cook the eggs for longer if you like them well done. After they are cooked remove the shells of the eggs and put them to one side.
9. Take the latkes out of the oven and put 2 on each plate.

1. With a large slotted spoon, take the fish out of the pan and drain them. Pop the fillets on top of the latkes.
2. Gently place your boiled egg on top of the mackerel.
3. Place the spinach around the delicious tower and finish it off with black pepper.

INGREDIENTS serves 4

• 4 smoked mackerel fillets

• 500g (1 pound) potatoes pealed and grated
• 1 onion finely sliced

• olive oil
• sea salt
• black pepper
• 4 hand fulls of baby or young spinach

• 15g (0.53 oz) unsalted butter
• 6 free-range eggs (or any eggs you desire)
• 1 tablespoon self-raising flour (or plain flour)

Love food, love life.

Classic Thai omelette with pork and spring onions

Eggs with attitude.

In Thailand this is one of the most common dishes you’ll find across the country, ‘Kai Jeaw Moo Sup’ translates into ‘classic Thai omelette with minced pork’. This dish is so simple and takes only a couple of minutes to make, the results are extremely delicious. It’s traditionally enjoyed with steamed jasmine Thai rice and a side of chilli infused fish sauce. The omelette is packed with protein and the chillies are full of vitamins. Please use the chillies with extreme caution!

READY TO COOK?

1. Crack 3 eggs into a medium sized bowl.
2. Whisk the eggs with a fork for 10 seconds.
3. Add the pork (split into small bits), spring onion, and a pinch of white pepper to the bowl.
4. Whisk the mixture for another 10 seconds. Make sure the pork is spread out evenly in the mixture.
5. In a medium sized wok, add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and put on a medium heat. Make sure the oil covers most of the wok.
6. Once the oil is hot, add the egg mixture.
7. Spread the egg mixture around the wok so you end up with a nice circle.
8. Fry it for 2 minutes and make sure it doesn’t stick to the wok.
9. Flip the omelette and fry it for 1 more minute. (A cheeky little trick if you cannot flip the omelette is to cover the wok with a plate, turn it upside down, then place it back into the wok).
10. Once cooked, gently place the omelette onto a warm plate and garnish with coriander.
11. In a small sauce dish, pop in the chopped up chillies and add 2 tablespoons of fish sauce.
12. Serve straight away.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 free-range eggs (or any eggs you can get your hands on, but free-range does taste better)
• 50g (1.7 ounces) pork mince
• 1 spring onion – washed and finely chopped
• white pepper
• sunflower or vegetable oil
• 1 birds eye chilli – roughly chopped (you can use any chilli you desire)
• fish sauce