Cod with roe and liver

Fresh cod roe becomes available in late winter, and is a lovely addition to the fresh seafood available year round.

My mother would serve roe with cooked cod's liver, cooked cod or haddock, and potatoes, sometimes with melted sheep's tallow (with cracklings) or butter, and rye bread on the side.

To cook the roes, drop them into boiling salted water and cook for 15 to 45 minutes, depending on their size. The roe is cooked when firm and of an even pale pink colour all the way through.

Drain well and serve warm or cold. Cold roe can be sliced and used as a topping for bread.

To cook cod liver, soak in cold water for about 30 minutes, to allow any nematodes to crawl out (this is why I do not eat fish liver). Remove the membrane from the liver, drop into heavily salted boiling water and cook for about 10 minutes. Some like to cook the liver, fish and roe together, but as the liver imparts a strong flavour to the cooking liquid, I recommend cooking it separately.

If the roe is to be served with fish, the fish may be cooked in the same pot. Filleted fish may be cut into pieces about 5 cm wide and cooked with the roes for the last 7-10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish pieces.

Cod roe omelet - hrognaeggjakaka

Cod roe should be available in fish shops now, and I usually treat myself to some once or twice during the season. (I really must check tomorrow). The traditional way of serving it is to cook the "bags" of roe in salted water, along with the liver from the fish and some fish, either cod or haddock. Everything then becomes greasy and slightly liver-flavoured, which I do not like at all. (Just take a sip of cod liver oil and then tell me if you honestly like the taste). But it is not the taste that I dislike the most about cod liver, it is the nematodes. I don't think I will say more on the subject, as I don't want to put anyone off their food. Just don't look up the word if you are going to eat soon.

I usually cook roe in salted water with some fish but without the liver. While leafing through one of my cookbooks looking for recipes, I came across this, which I really should try – it sound delicious:

1/2 kg cooked cod roe (use canned if you can't get fresh). If you can get fresh roe, clean well under cold running water. Don't remove the membrane that holds the roe together. Cook in salted water for 15-45 minutes, depending on size.
70-100 g butter
Salt and pepper
1 onion
4 eggs
3 tbs cheese, grated (I would use Gouda)

Slice roe and onion and brown in a frying pan. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Mix eggs with salt and pepper and cheese. Pour into a hot frying pan and cook until the omelet is nearly done. Top with onions and roe slices, close the omelet and serve immediately.

Steamed salmon in tin foil recipe

How to make steamed salmon using tin foil in the oven.

This is a very easy salmon recipe to cook.

Salmon is a very healthy and tasty fish to eat but on many occasions lots of different people have said that they love the taste of salmon but do not know how to cook it, Chef Jeena shows you how to cook salmon the simple way.

It is not always necessary to cook salmon in a fancy way, with some simple seasoning salmon can be very easy to cook and extremely delicious to eat.

Chef uses salt, pepper and dried dill to season this salmon, the dill is optional. The fish is then wrapped in tin foil and baked in a hot oven. Once cooked the salmon is then served with kale and garlic potatoes, you can serve with any side dish of your choice.

Salmon is high in omega oils, Vitamin D, Tryptophan (the happy brain chemical), Selenium and B Vitamins. So as well as being very tasty salmon is very healthy.

Ingredients
2-4 Salmon fillets
Salt
Black pepper
Dried dill (optional)

Picture of fresh salmon seasoned with salt, pepper and dill.

Picture of fork digging into the delicious steam baked salmon.

Recipe - How to make steamed salmon using tin foil in an oven

Unroll some tin foil and place it shiny side down on top of a flat oven tray.

Place a square/rectangle of greased proof paper in the center of the foil.

If there is no grease proof paper at hand the fish can be cooked in the foil alone.

Place salmon fillets in the center of the grease proof paper with a small gap between each fish.

Sprinkle with salt and black pepper and if using the dill sprinkle with dill. A fresh sprig of dill can also be placed on top of the fish to infuse the salmon instead of using dried dill.

Pull the tin foil up at both ends and fold to seal the foil.

Make sure that there is space inside the foil for the hot air to steam the fish, almost like a foil bag.

If the foil is wrapped to tightly there will be no room for the hot air to steam the fish nicely.

Bake in an oven at gas mark 6-7 for 20 minutes or until cooked.

Serve with blanched green kale leaves and garlic potatoes or side dish of your choice.

To see how to cook a crispy salmon in the oven see:

Oven baked salmon recipe

"SUNDAY DINNER KALE" - or "KALE THAT KIDS WON'T HIDE UNDER THE PLACEMAT"

While I understand that Kale may not be first on any kid's list of favourite foods, I guarantee that if you can get them to try this side dish, they will like it, and they will eat it themselves (poor cat). If, however, I am wrong, and the kids don't ask for seconds, all the more for you - and you will thank me for that.

When the rest of your dinner is ready, the table is set, and everyone is ready to sit down, get your ingredients lined up in preparation for the quick cooking of this super fast super food. Once the preparation starts, you are literally seconds away from completion.

This recipe should serve two, generously. I am willing to bet that you will double the recipe the next time you make it. Kale is the most nutrient dense green on the planet. Prepared this way, I think it is also the most delicious.



Enjoy.



Ingredients:
5 to 6 oz. kale, stems removed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon kosher sea salt
1/3 cup raw walnuts or raw pecans
1 clove garlic, minced or grated
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (eyeball it)
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
1/3 cup imported Italian Parmesan cheese, freshly grated


Preparation:
Remove the stems and chop the kale into strips about ¼ to ½ inch wide, wash it, and shake off as much water as you can. Set aside.
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in the widest skillet you own. Add the kale and salt to the pan and cook for less than a minute, just long enough for the kale to lose a bit of its structure. Stir in the nuts and garlic, wait 10 seconds, then grate the nutmeg over the kale, and stir it in. Wait ten seconds again and stir in the lemon juice and zest.
Remove from heat and serve dusted with Parmesan cheese.

That's what I'm talkin' about.

BURRITO SALAD

Remember the Chipotle Lime Chicken recipe that we posted just a week or two ago? Left-over chicken has long been a starting point for many quick meals, but this is my new favourite. I think even kids might like it. The following recipe is for one huge salad. Adjust the amounts for extra servings.

Enjoy.

Ingredients:

3 - 4 ounces of cooked, chilled Chipotle Lime Chicken, cubed into bite sized pieces

1 cup of chopped celery (optional)

1 cup of chopped cucumber

1 cup of red pepper

1 heaping tablespoon of organic sour cream (optional)

1 heaping tablespoon of guacamole (optional, but worth it for so many reasons)

1 to 2 cups of fresh spinach and/or romaine lettuce and/or fresh kale (kale pictured above)

1/3 to 1/2 of a fresh lime

Preparation:

Combine all the vegetables, chicken, guacamole, and sour cream. Squeeze the juice of the lime over the salad, and toss again.

I have not posted a recipe for guacomole because it is simply too easy to mush together to bother with a recipe. For those who need a recipe: 1 ripe avocado, mashed with 1 tablespoon very finely diced onion, 1 clove garlic (either very finely diced, or grated), 1 tablespoon cumin, and the juice of approximately 1/2 of a lemon or lime. Done.

Obviously, your choice of vegetables is entirely up to you. I think it is worth repeating that conventional red peppers carry a heavy pesticide load, so organic is best if you are using them. I used organic red pepper and cucumber in lieu of celery and chopped tomatoes because that was what I had on hand. I used the kale because it is the most nutrient dense green on the planet and I had some in the fridge. It was a tiny bit strong for the other, more "south of the border" flavours, but I still ate it up very happily.

Honey cake recipe

Learn how to make the perfect honey cake recipe with Chef Jeena.

Honey is fantastic sweetener for desserts, biscuits and of course cakes.

There are many different varieties of honey. In this cake recipe Chef uses eucalyptus honey for the cake batter and some clover honey for the filling. Eucalyptus honey has a delicious toffee flavor, any clear honey can be used in this honey cake recipe.

This delicious cake can be sliced in half and filled with fresh cream or simply slice the cake as a whole and serve with a dollop of fresh cream or creme fraiche.

Chefs honey cake has a beautiful golden color and a wonderful moist spongy texture, combine this with a delectable honey flavor and this honey cake is a winner!

If you love the taste of honey then there is no doubt about how much you will adore this honey cake recipe.

Ingredients for honey cake

1/3 cup Soft light brown sugar
4 level Tbsp Honey (Eucalyptus honey)
4 level Tbsp Condensed milk
1/3 cup of Margarine
2 medium Eggs
1 cup Plain flour
1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
Pinch salt
1/2 tsp Vanilla essence

For the filling

Freshly whipped double cream or a Creme fraiche/Cream cheese filling

Honey can be added to sweeten the filling with lemon zest or a touch of lemon juice.

(The honey cake is a sweet cake so don't overly sweeten the filling unless you have a huge sweet tooth. Add a little honey at a time until it is perfect for your taste. Leaving the filling with a slight sour zing compliments the cake and tastes fabulous.)

Picture of golden honey cake.

Picture of golden honey cake base spread with fresh cream.

How to make a honey cake recipe

Place honey, margarine, light brown sugar and condensed milk into a mixing bowl.

To measure the honey and condensed milk:

Take a tablespoon in one hand and use the other hand to dip a teaspoon into the honey. Let the honey slip and drizzle from off the teaspoon into the tablespoon until the tablespoon is full and level.

Do this method for both the honey and condensed milk for perfect measurements.

Briefly stir together with a spoon then whisk.

Add all of the dry ingredients and two eggs.
Mix well.

Pour into a greased and floured 7+1/2 or 8 inch round cake tin.

Bake in a hot oven at gas mark 5 for 25 minutes, do not open the oven door during the first stage of cooking.

Turn the oven down to gas mark 3 and bake for a further 20-30 minutes.

Leave the honey cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then remove and finish cooling on a wire rack.

Once cool carefully use a bread knife to slice the cake in half.

Spread with fresh cream or other filling of your choice.

Place the lid of the honey cake on top of the cream filling and dust with powdered sugar.

Gently cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge until desired.

The cake keeps very well in the fridge and tastes fabulous the next day.

This cake will keep in the fridge for as long as the cream filling does.

Enjoy this delicious honey cake recipe.