Whole sea bream / sauteed new potatoes & shallots / chilli butter / sea asparagus

image courtesy of robin1clark.files.wordpress.com

*Part of the sizzling staffordshire menu series*

I'm very very fond of sea bream. Back in the day we used to use guilt head bream, but any sea bream will do for this recipe where necessary. You can even use whole seabass as a substitute, although the fish will be a good deal sweeter. It all depends on your preference.

We used to use this dish as a healthier alternative to fish and chips, with a spicy edge. The sautee'd new potatoes are very enjoyable and a good "chip" substitute.The shallots give a nice sweetness, and the fact were going to slightly caramelise them first will work well with the sweetness of the spuds here also. The sea asparagus gives a nice touch too, its rather light, and goes pehnomenally well with almost all fish dishes. Last but not least the chilli butter gives us some nice texture and a spicy edge. Im confident you'll enjoy this one.

You will need (per serving)

1 whole sea bream / guilt head bream - gutted, descaled, fins removed and slashed 3/4 times accross the body.
1 portion (roughly 4 potatoes) of cooked new potatoes, skin on and halved vertically
2 shallots, peeled and halved
1 portion (roughly 80-100g) sea asparagus
1 portion chilli butter
tsp olive oil
tsp butter, salted
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
salt and pepper

The doing bit:

For the fish, once slashed brush with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place under grill for about 8 mins per side, turn over the fish once one side is cooked and repeat. IN the last 2 minutes add the chilli butter.

For the accompmaniments:

In a saute pan, add a small amount of olive oil then add the shallots and saute until coloured. Add the potatoes and cook until potatoes are golden brown, keeping them moving roughly every minute. Add the bron sugar and allow to melt to coat the dish. Season with salt and pepper

For the sea asparagus:

In a pan add the salted butter until melted then add the sea asparagus. cook until tender and season with salt and pepper where required.

Assemble items on plate and devour.

Enjoy!

Garlic buttered chicken kiev with almond roast potatoes, mushroom fricasse & mangetout

Usually we would serve kiev as a late summer dish with roated tomatoes saute potatoes etc. But this late autumn dish incorporates a more earthy and hearty approach. The garlic providing a wondeful savoury tone, sweetness from the almond roasted poatoes, a creamy texture and earthy flavour from the mushroom fricasse, and definite crunch and bite from the mangetout.

Its quite filling, but will leave you wonderfully satisfied and with room for a dessert if you wish.

I cooked this a couple of weeks ago and it went down a storm :)

Ingredients

For the kiev

(makes 1)

tsp garlic butter
1 chicken fillet with small underside fillet still attached
soft white breadcrumbs
flour and beaten egg (for breading)
mixed herbs & salt & pepper

For the roast potatoes (serves 4)

4 large baking poatoes peeled and chopped into same sizes (for roasting)
flour & beaten egg (use above from chicken if need be)
ground or flaked almonds (ground are better but its up to you)
olive oil & salt & pepper

for the mushroom fricasse (serves 4)

150g Large Onion, finely chopped
150g of Wild Mushrooms, trimmed
150g of Button Mushrooms
100ml of White Wine
125ml of Double Cream
125ml of Dry Sherry Reduced by 2/3
10g of Chopped Tarragon
Parmesan shavings to taste

Preparation

Kiev:

add salt & pepper ans herbs to breadcrumbs and set aside.

Trim off the underside fillet from the breast and flatten out with a tenderiser or rolling pin. wrap the garlic butter in the small flattened piece. cut a pocket in the underside of the breast and tuck in the parcel. Coat breast in flour, then egg then seasoned breadcrumbs. Reapeat as necessary for other breasts then lightly oil a frying pan and sear both sides of kiev until coloured. Place on baking tray then add to preheated oven at 200C until cooked.

Potatoes:

Place the potatoes in a pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, then simmer until potatoes begin to soften. Remove from heat, strain and allow to cool slightly.Preheat oven to 200C then coat with oil,flour then egg, then the ground almonds and set in an oiled oven tray for roasting. lPace in oven and turn regularly for even cooking.

Fricasse:

Sauté off the onion with the mushrooms till tender, add the wine and cream and reduce till thick add the sherry and reduce till a thick coating consistency. Finish with tarragon and parmesan shavings.

Mangetout:

Drop into salted boiling water 2 mins before serving.

Assemble in the following order: fricasse, potatoes on the oustide spaced evenly, mangetout on fricasse, kiev on top.

Serve & devour.

Pan roasted chicken with sea salt & thyme, with crushed "champ" potatoes and sage cream

This dish is inbeliveably simple but hearty and pleasant. During the cloder months from late autumn to early spring, this dish will bring a smile to the faces of its audience. It utilised the more pungent flavours that the colder months provide, from the fragrance of sage and the punchy flavour of the onions, the thyme sits amongst it all adding further fragrance and flavour which goes perfectly with the chicken

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken breast, skinned and deboned

1 tbsp fresh thyme

1 sprig of fresh thyme (garnish)

4 whole spring onions, washed & chopped into 1/2 centimetre echelons

4 cooked salad new potatoes

50 ml dry white wine

50 ml double cream

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp fresh sage, torn into equal size pieces.

1 tsp butter

Pinch black pepper.

Method:

Season the chicken with the sea salt & thyme both sides.

In a large saute pan, add the butter, sear the chicken until golden brown on one side, then turn. Saute the spring onions until bright green. Crush the salad potatoes and stir into the spring onions. Put the whole pan into the oven to cook (approximately 10 minutes at 200C.)

For the sauce, in a sauce pan combine the wine and sage, and bring to the boil. Reduce liquid by half then add the cream. Add the pinch of black pepper, then reduce the volume by half once more (until sauce is thickened).

When chicken is cooked, cut in half lengthways and serve on top of the champ potatoes. Use the sprig of thyme to garnish, and decorate with sage cream. Serve.