“Salty cheese, fruit and mint with a bit of honey is also the kind of salad that makes me want to go back to Sydney,” says Rick Stein.
“I remember a lunch at the home of a famous, now sadly deceased, art dealer called Ray Hughes. The table was literally a long line of large salad platters like this, with acres of ham, melon, basil everywhere, halloumi, pomegranates, prawns and oysters, all accompanied by sensational Chardonnays. It was one of those lunches that you never want to end.”
Baked nectarine salad with feta cheese and mint
Try this tasty and warm salad inspired by Australia
(James Murphy/PA)
Serves: 4 as a side or 2 as a light dinner
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons liquid honey
6 nectarines, pitted and halved
2 red onions, sliced
80g of pea shoots or lamb lettuce
150g of feta cheese in cubes or crumbled
Some sprigs of mint, only leaves, torn
30g of coarsely chopped almonds
For the vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons liquid honey
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and black pepper
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C.
2. Mix the olive oil and honey in a baking dish, add the nectarines and red onion and mix well. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes until soft and then let cool at room temperature.
3. Mix the vinaigrette ingredients in a jar and season with salt and pepper.
4. Spread the pea shoots or lamb lettuce on a serving platter and arrange the red onions and nectarines on top. Pour over the roasting juices. Add the feta cheese, sprinkle over the mint and almonds and season with the vinaigrette on the table.
Fish pie with puff pastry topping
This easy recipe skips some traditional steps – without losing the flavor
(James Murphy/PA)
“I love fish pie, but I realize there are many processes involved,” says Stein, “although the best part is that when serving there is nothing to do but take it out of the oven.
“I’ve made this recipe as simple as possible by not having a proper bechamel sauce or mashed potatoes, as I would with a traditional fish pie.”
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
600ml whole milk
500g haddock, coley or pollack
300g un-dyed smoked haddock
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons cornflour
85g grated mature Cheddar cheese
Splash of white wine
Large handful of chopped parsley
150g peeled prawns, fresh or frozen and defrosted
320g ready-made puff pastry
Milk or egg yolk, for glazing
Salt and black pepper
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200C/Fan 180C.
2. In a large frying pan heat the milk, add the fish and blanch for 3-5 minutes.
3. Remove the pan from the heat and remove the fish with a slotted spoon, leaving the milk in the pan. When the fish is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and break the flesh into large pieces. Let the milk cool slightly.
4. In a small bowl, mix the egg yolks and cornflour until a paste forms. Gradually, add about a ladleful of the milk to temper. Place the pan with the milk over low heat and add the yolk mixture, then stir over medium heat until a creamy and thick sauce is obtained. Add the grated cheese, wine and parsley, taste and season with salt and pepper.
5. Place the fish, sauce and prawns in a baking dish about 20 x 30cm and mix gently. Cover with the pastry and brush with milk or egg yolk. Cut the pastry a few times to allow steam to escape and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the pastry is golden and puffed. Serve with peas, broccoli or green leafy vegetables.
Last-minute cheat’s tiramisu
You can’t go wrong with this quick and easy dessert
(James Murphy/PA)
“Obviously, nothing beats a proper tiramisu, but it’s so quick and lovely that it only takes a few minutes to make,” says Stein.
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
150ml whipped cream or double cream
250g mascarpone, at room temperature
40g sieved icing sugar
50ml Baileys or Marsala
150ml cooled espresso coffee
8-12 ladyfingers or 4 small sponges
Cocoa powder, for dusting or chocolate flakes, crumbled
Method:
1. Whisk the whipped cream lightly in a bowl until it starts to thicken.
2. Beat the mascarpone with the Baileys or Marsala to soften, add the sieved icing sugar and fold into the whipped cream.
3. Pour the coffee into a separate bowl. Dip the ladyfingers in the coffee and divide half into 4 small cups or bowls.
4. Add half of the cream mixture, dividing it again between the bowls, then repeat the layers of cake and cream. Generously sprinkle with cocoa powder or crumbled chocolate.
5. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve or serve immediately if making at the last minute.
‘Rick Stein’s Simple Suppers’ (BBC Books, £28).
