Category: Recipes

You will find quick and easy, made-from-scratch recipes made from seasonal ingredients.  There are some healthy recipes and quite a few treat recipes too. I cook the food that I love so this is not a comprehensive guide to cookery.

My focus is on Baking (particularly Cakes, Muffins and Biscuits and Cookies), Desserts (particularly Ice Cream, Meringue, Roulades and Sweet Tarts), Soups, Salads,  Simple Suppers (particularly Pasta and Savoury Tarts) plus a few Snacks, Sauces and Preserves.  I also have a few Drink recipes with a particular focus on home-made Gin.    These are the kind of goodies that you might get a great local independent cafe or coffee shop – perhaps minus the gin!

All of these dishes are aimed at those who either have basic cooking skills or, like me, just don’t have the time to spend hours in the kitchen but want to produce something tasty and delicious.

Onion Tart

  • Onion Tart with Wild Garlic
  • Onion Tart with Wild Garlic
  • Onion Tart with Wild Garlic

Onion Tart with Wild Garlic and Herbs

This Onion Tart combines sweet, caramelised onions with a selection of herbs. I have used chives, parsley and wild garlic, which is in season in England in late spring and early summer. However, you can use any herbs that you like and which are available.

Onion and Wild Garlic Tart

What you need to know about this Onion Tart recipe

  • I generally make my own pastry. I was a late learner when it came to pastry and for years used ready-made versions. However, a few years ago I decided I had to get to grips with pastry-making and discovered how easy it is. If you have the time to make your own pastry, it is really worth doing as the taste will be much better than anything you can buy in the shops. However, if you don’t have the time or inclination, you can make this recipe using ready-made pastry and it will still taste pretty good.
  • Whether you are making your own pastry or using ready-made, it is really important to bake the empty pastry case in the oven for 20 minutes before you add the filling (step 7). This sets the pastry and means that it is properly cooked so it will be crisp and delicious rather than soft and soggy.
  • It also makes a huge difference to the taste of your tart if you make sure that the onions are soft and caramelised (step 5). Keep the burner as low as possible, stir occasionally and watch that they don’t burn. You want the end result to be very pale golden brown. Taste them to check and if you wish you can add a little brown sugar to sweeten them up a bit more.
  • You can use any combination of herbs in this recipe. However, soft herbs work better than woody herbs (such as rosemary). Also, you need to be aware that some herbs (such as mint) have particularly strong flavours and will overpower others. I used chives, parsley and wild garlic in roughly equal amounts for my recipe. I’ve listed a few other herbs and flavourings that I think go well in this tart but please feel free to experiment.
    • Tarragon – I would use it on its own and put less (between one and two tablespoons) in the tart as it has a strong flavour.
    • Sage – a classic partner for onion and again I would put less in the tart as has a strong flavour.
    • Thyme – one of my favourite herbs but it can be a bit fiddly getting all the little leaves off the woody stems. I would combine this with a few other herbs such as chives or parsley.
    • Garlic – if you are not using wild garlic, you can add a clove of garlic to the onions once they are caramelised and cook for one or two minutes (step 5).
Onion Tart with Wild Garlic
About Wild Garlic

When I lived in London, I ordered a weekly vegetable box which contained a selection of vegetables. I didn’t get to choose what was in the box – I was just given what was in season. Opening the box was a bit like a mini-birthday every week . Sometimes you opened it up and were delighted. Sometimes you opened it up and were a bit disappointed. There were definitely times when I thought that I had really eaten all the swedes that I ever wanted to eat.

One of the best extra things I got in the box was a big bunch of wild garlic. It seemed so fresh and exotic with its pretty white flowers. I wasn’t entirely sure whether I would cook with it or put it in a vase. I tried many times after that to get hold of it when I was in London but never succeeded. It was clearly a rare and special ingredient.

Later I moved to a rural part of Gloucestershire to a house situated by a small wood. In early May, the first year I lived there, I started to get garlicky wafts of scent whenever I went in the garden. Slightly puzzled, I went for a walk in the wood and found that it was covered in a carpet of small white flowered plants. I discovered that wild garlic is to be found in early summer in many woodland areas and is clearly not so rare after all!

It is well worth looking out for wild garlic in early summer. As with any foraged food, you need to make sure that you have identified the plant correctly. In the case of wild garlic, this is pretty easy as you just need to crush one of the garlic-scented leaves to check.

Other quiche and tart recipes

I make a lot of quiches and savoury tarts. In my view, they are one of the most versatile and useful dishes. They are easy to make and easy to divide into portions, they can be made in advance, they can be served hot or cold, there are a lot of vegetarian options which still seem to please meat-eaters and there are lots and lots of possible flavour combinations. In addition to this Onion Tart, some of my favourites from this are listed below.

Loved this recipe? Check out the Recipe Index

  • Line tart dish with pastry
  • Bake until pastry has set
  • Fry onions slowly until caramelised
  • Put caramelised onions into pastry case
  • Add chopped herbs
  • Add beaten eggs and cream. Season to taste and bake for 30 minutes.

Recipe for Onion Tart with Wild Garlic and Herbs

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Onion Tart with Wild Garlic

Onion Tart

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review
  • Author: Tastebotanical
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Description

This easy vegetarian Onion Tart is flavoured with a selection of fresh herbs including wild garlic.  It is fresh and tasty and can be eaten warm or at room temperature.

Ingredients

Scale

For the pastry:

  • 275 g (10 oz) plain flour
  • 125 g (5 oz) fat (I use a mix of half butter and half Trex as I think this makes the lightest pastry)
  • Salt
  • A little water

 

For the filling:

  • 4 large onions – about 450 g (1lb) 
  • 50 g (2 oz) butter and 1 tablespoon oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar (optional)
  • A bunch (approximately 15 g or 0.5 oz) of mixed fresh herbs such as Wild Garlic, Chives and Parsley
  • 120 ml (4 fluid oz) double cream
  • 2 eggs

Instructions

  1. Set your oven to 180 C, 350 F or Gas Mark 4.
  2. Make the pastry. Put the flour in a bowl.  Add the fat and combine –  either by “rubbing in” by hand or processing – until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add a little cold water (2-3 tbsp) and shape the mixture into a dough.
  3. Peel and chop the onions.
  4. Heat the butter and oil in your frying pan.   It helps if the pan is good quality with a thick bottom as this will disseminate the heat evenly and prevent burning.
  5. Add the onions to the pan, season with salt and pepper,  and cook at a very low heat for about 30 minutes.  Keep an eye on them to make sure they are not burning and stir occasionally.  The onions are done when they are light brown, soft and, when tasted, are sweet.  You can add a teaspoon of brown sugar to increase  the sweetness of the onions at this stage if you wish.
  6. Set the onion mixture aside to cool slightly.
  7. Roll out your pastry and use it to line your quiche or flan dish.   Bake for 20 minutes in the oven to allow the pastry to “set”.  This will stop the filling making it soggy.
  8. Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl, add the cream, and beat until combined. 
  9. Wash and finely chop the fresh herbs.
  10. Place the onion mixture and chopped herbs in your pastry case and then pour in the egg mixture.
  11. Place your quiche or flan dish in the oven and cook for 25 minutes.
  12. The tart can be eaten hot, room temperature or cold.

Loved this recipe? Check out the Recipe Index

This recipe has been shared on #CookBlogShare with Cooking with My Kids  and #Fiesta Friday with Fiesta Friday and  Liz @ Spades, Spatulas & Spoons

Lemon Chicken with Olives

  • Lemon chicken
  • Lemon chicken
  • Lemon chicken
  • Lemon chicken
  • Lemon chicken

Lemon Chicken with Olives

Lemon Chicken with Olives is a simple stew, enhanced by saffron, ginger and cinnamon. It is based on a traditional Moroccan recipe which uses preserved lemons, rather than fresh lemons. The spices are warm, fragrant and gentle and the olives give an extra dimension of flavour to the sauce. The lemon is a fantastic flavour partner for rather than chicken and adds a freshness and vibrancy to the finished dish.

This is one of those brilliant recipes which are easy to prepare, can be made in advance and which are great for a weeknight supper but are also not out of place if you are entertaining. All you need to add is some couscous to soak up the delicious sauce and maybe some green vegetables such as beans, peas or broccoli.

Lemon chicken

What you need to know about Lemon Chicken with Olives

  • Make sure that you cook the onions slowly at the start of the recipe to ensure that they are sweet and caramelised. This will add depth of flavour to your finished dish.
  • The chicken pieces do not need to be browned before you add liquid to the casserole. When I make other chicken stews, I will brown the chicken as I have been taught that this will enhance the flavour. However, I was told many years ago in Morocco that this is not the usual practice when making this type of stew. Removing this stage makes this stew even quicker and easier and so I never do it when making this Moroccan-style stew.
  • The difference between having a so-so chicken stew and a rich and delicious chicken stew is making sure that you reduce the sauce (step 7). At this point you remove the chicken pieces and set them aside so that they do not become overcooked while the sauce is reducing.
  • You can make this recipe in advance and re-heat it.
Lemon chicken

Loved this recipe? Checkout the Recipe Index.

Other simple suppers

This recipe for Lemon Chicken with Olives is one of my regular weeknight supper options. It is easy, tasty and uncomplicated and can be made in under an hour. It can also be made in advance and then quickly re-heated. Although it is simple to make, it is also special enough to serve if I am entertaining. Here are some of my other simple supper recipes.

  • Macaroni Cheese – this is a brilliant make-ahead vegetarian recipe which has a secret layer of caramelised onions and a bit of cayenne to balance its rich cheesiness. Topped with a layer of crisp breadcrumbs it is perfect served with a simple green salad.
  • Creamy Mushroom Pasta – this is simple vegetarian sauce combines mushrooms and chestnuts and lots of garlic. It can be used with any kind of pasta but I prefer it with short pasta such as gigli or penne.
  • Spaghetti with Smoked Salmon – this simple recipe can be made in 15 minutes. Smoked salmon trimmings are combined with fennel and chives and a squeeze of lemon.
  • Moroccan-style Seafood Stew – this simple but luxurious stew combines warm spices with seafood of your choice (prawns, mussels, clams or white fish). Serve with couscous to mop up the delicious juices.

Lemon Chicken with Olives

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Lemon chicken

Lemon Chicken with Olives

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Tastebotanical
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 45
  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 6
  • Category: Stew
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Description

This easy Lemon Chicken with Olives and warm spices  is the perfect simple supper recipe.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 onions
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves (crushed)
  • Pinch of saffron
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 kilo free-range chicken legs and thighs
  • A handful of green olives
  • Juice of one lemon

Lemon chicken

Instructions

  1. If using oven, set to 180 C, 350 F or Gas Mark 4 (see point 6)
  2. Peel and chop the onions.
  3. Heat the olive oil in your casserole and add the chopped onions.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook gently for around 10 minutes until the onions have softened.
  4. Add the crushed garlic cloves, saffron, ginger and cinnamon  to the onions. Then add the chicken pieces.
  5. Add sufficient water to almost cover the chicken pieces and bring to the boil.
  6. You can now either transfer the casserole to your oven or cover it and continue to allow it to simmer gently on the top of your stove.   In either case, the chicken will be cooked in 30 minutes. 
  7. Then remove the chicken pieces from the casserole and place in another bowl.  Remove the lid from your casserole and add the lemon juice and olives.  Simmer uncovered on the top of your stove until the liquid has reduced to half its volume.  This will take around 15 minutes.  It will have thickened slightly and will taste rich and tangy. 
  8. Put the chicken pieces back into the casserole and reheat.

Lemon chicken

This recipe has been shared on #CookBlogShare with Recipes Made Easy and #Fiesta Friday with Fiesta Friday and  Mollie @ Frugal Hausfrau

Loved this recipe? Checkout the Recipe Index.

Lemon chicken

Tomato Sauce Recipe

Easy, basic Tomato Sauce recipe

This made-from-scratch Tomato Sauce recipe uses store cupboard ingredients, can be made in under half an hour, can be kept in the fridge or frozen, and is the basis for many, many meals. It is a reduced puree of tomatoes, flavoured with onions and garlic, which can be used with pasta or in other dishes. It is the one recipe that I have made sure all my children know how to cook before they leave home as, if you have mastered it, you will always be half an hour away from a tasty and nutritious meal.

What you need to know about my Tomato Sauce recipe

This is a very easy recipe. If you have never cooked anything before, you should be able to cook this. The key ingredient in this sauce is time. Yes, time not thyme! You need to cook the onions slowly for 15 minutes to make sure that they are sweet and caramelised. Don’t skip this step. If you cook them low and slow they will have a fantastic savoury sweetness which will make your sauce particularly delicious. You need to keep an eye on them to make sure that they don’t burn as this will make your sauce taste bitter. You also need to allow the full 15 minutes for the sauce to simmer uncovered to allow some of the liquid to evaporate. This will mean that the sauce thickens and the flavour intensifies. The end result should be naturally sweet but, if you wish, you could add a little sugar at the end if you feel it needs it.

This Tomato Sauce recipe uses store-cupboard ingredients which means you should always have the makings to hand and that you can make it all the year around. In late summer, when fresh tomatoes are in season, I will often use these to make sauce. It is fresh and delicious when made with good quality tomatoes. However, for the rest of the year, I used tinned tomatoes which have a great intensity of flavour. I was once told by an Italian friend that it was better to use whole tinned tomatoes rather than the chopped-up variety because the latter was where the poorer quality fruit were used. Personally, I have not found a huge difference in taste between whole and chopped tinned tomatoes.

This sauce is a very simple vegan recipe. It consists of oil, onion and tomatoes flavoured with garlic and bay leaf. However, there are lots of variations, as set out below.

Tomato Sauce variations
  • You can use butter, instead of oil, if you would like your tomato sauce to be richer. You can also add a tablespoon of double cream if you want it even richer still.
  • If you are in a hurry, you can leave out the onions, start the recipe by frying the garlic for a few minutes and follow the recipe from step 4.
  • You can add chopped celery sticks together with the onion at step 3. Celery is a brilliant ingredient for adding a depth of flavour to recipes and will add another level of taste to your sauce.
  • You can add a chopped fennel bulb together with the onion at step 3. This gives the sauce a mild aniseed flavour which is excellent if you are serving it with fish.
  • Another good variation if you are serving the sauce with fish is to add a generous pinch of saffron and a curl of orange peel (without the pith) to the sauce at step 5.
  • You can add a few anchovy fillets together with the onion at step 3. The anchovies will melt into the sauce and give an extra savoury depth of flavour to the sauce.
  • If you want a bit of heat to your sauce, you could add a teaspoon of dried chilli flakes at step 5.
  • You can add other herbs to the sauce. If you are using dried herbs, add at step 5 together with the tomatoes and bay leaf. If you are using fresh herbs, add right at the end of cooking. Basil and oregano are good options.
  • You can add a dash of wine, either red or white, at the end of cooking. This will add acidity and richness to the sauce. Two or three tablespoons is sufficient.
Uses for basic Tomato Sauce

This recipe makes approximately 1 litre (35 fl oz) of sauce. It will keep for two or three days in the fridge and can be frozen. You can use it as a simple sauce for pasta as it is and it also makes a great basis for a whole range of other pasta sauces. It is also good as an accompaniment to vegetables, fish or meat.

Basic Tomato Sauce Recipe
  • Heat olive oil in a heavy pan. Add chopped onions.
  • Fry slowly until the onion is caramelised
  • Add garlic and then tomatoes
  • Add bay leaves
  • Cook until the sauce is reduced
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Tomato Sauce

Tomato Sauce Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Tastebotanical
  • Prep Time: 5
  • Cook Time: 30
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 6
  • Category: Sauce
  • Cuisine: English
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Description

This quick and easy Tomato Sauce recipe, made from store-cupboard ingredients, is fantastic with pasta and is at the basis for a wide range of other sauces.  

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
  • 1 large onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 2 tins of tomatoes
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Salt and pepper
  • A little sugar (optional)

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil in a heavy-based saucepan or deep frying pan.
  2. Peel and finely chop the onions and add to the pan.
  3. Fry the onions over a very low heat until soft and caramelised.  This will take about 15  minutes.
  4. Peel and crush the garlic cloves and add them to the pan.
  5. Add the tomatoes and the bay leaf.
  6. Simmer uncovered until the sauce is rich and thick.  This will take about 15 minutes.
  7. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper.  You can add a little sugar (half a teaspoon) if you feel the sauce needs to be sweetened.

This recipe has been shared on #CookBlogShare with A Strong Coffee and #Fiesta Friday with Fiesta Friday,  Diann @ Of Goats and Greens and Liz @ Spades, Spatulas & Spoons

Loved this recipe? You may also like the following recipes. Or checkout the Recipe Index.

Cold tomato soup
Tomato Soup
Tomato Tart

Almond Shortbread with Rosewater

  • Almond shortbread
  • Almond shortbread
  • Almond shortbread

Easy Almond Shortbread recipe flavoured with Rosewater

If you have never baked in your life, this easy Almond Shortbread recipe with a hint of rose flavour, is a fantastic place to start. It is buttery, soft and crumbly and made in under half an hour. Perfect for a morning snack or a teatime treat.

I always add ground almonds to my shortbread as I think they improve both the flavour and texture. Homemade shortbread has a softer texture than the shop-bought version and, if you make your own, you can play around with the flavours a bit. I am a big fan of rose-flavoured recipes and decided to add a bit of rosewater to my usual easy shortbread recipe. I was really pleased with the result which manages to be both comfortingly familiar and a little bit different.

Almond shortbread

What you need to know about Almond Shortbread

  • This is a really easy recipe which makes it perfect for those who are not experienced bakers. It is also a great recipe if you want to cook with younger children or for older children to cook by themselves. I made a version of this recipe (without the rosewater) when I was in primary school whenever we visited by grandfather who was extremely fond of shortbread.
  • It is also a very quick recipe – from bowl to table in under half an hour. This makes it great for a bit of spontaneous weekend baking but also good if you suddenly need to make something quickly. It has saved the day for me on several occasions when I have realised that I have not produced anything for the school bake sale. Not many baked goods can be produced in the time it takes to have breakfast.
  • The quantities in this recipe make eight thick pieces of shortbread. However, it is really easy to make more by doubling the ingredients and either using two 20 cm (8 inch) pie tins or one 30 cm (12 inch) tin. Make sure that the depth of the mixture in the tin is about one cm (half an inch).
  • I always use butter in this recipe as I prefer the flavour. However, if you are a vegan or wish to avoid dairy products, you can use a non-dairy substitute instead of the butter.
  • In this recipe, I flavoured my shortbread with culinary rosewater, which is available from most supermarkets. However, if you prefer a plain shortbread you can just leave it out.
Almond shortbread

Other rose-flavoured recipes

I love to use rosewater as a flavouring. If you are inspired by this shortbread recipe, you might like to have a look at my Rose and Strawberry Cream Cake as another teatime treat. For dessert, you could try Rose and Raspberry Pavlova, Rose Meringues or fragrant Rose Ice-cream.

Other easy shortbread and biscuit recipes

Baking shortbread or biscuits (cookies) is a really good place to start for inexperienced bakers. They are generally very easy and do not take very long to bake. If you like this recipe, you might also like my Lavender Shortbread or simple Lemon Biscuits (Cookies). I also have a great Cheese Biscuit recipe, which you can make with or without chilli, if you want a savoury snack.

Loved this recipe? Checkout the Recipe Index.

  • Rub the butter and flour together
  • Add the sugar, almonds and rosewater
  • Place in a baking tin
  • Press down the mixture and place in oven
Almond shortbread

Recipe for Almond Shortbread with Rosewater

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Almond shortbread

Almond Shortbread with Rosewater

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review
  • Author: Tastebotanical
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 15
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 8 pieces of shortbread 1x
  • Category: Biscuits
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: English
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Description

This simple Almond Shortbread, flavoured with rosewater, is soft and crumbly and made in under half an hour.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 180 g (6 oz) plain flour
  • 125 g (4 oz) butter
  • 55 g (2 oz) caster sugar
  • 60 g (2 oz) ground almonds
  • 1 teaspoon of culinary rosewater
  • A little extra caster sugar

Almond shortbread

Instructions

  1. Set your oven to 180 C, 350 F or Gas Mark 4. 
  2. Sift the flour into a large bowl.  Add the butter and combine –  either by “rubbing in” by hand or processing – until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.  
  3. Stir in the sugar and the ground almonds.
  4. Add the rosewater.
  5. Tip the mixture into a 20 cm (8 inch) loose-based pie tin.   Press the mixture into the tin using the back of a spoon.   
  6. Put the tin into the oven and bake for 15 minutes.   The shortbread will be done when it is light golden brown in colour.
  7. Remove from the oven.  Score the shortbread into segments eight segments using a sharp knife.  Sprinkle with a little caster sugar while still warm.  Allow the shortbread to cool in the tin.

This recipe has been shared on #CookBlogShare with the Lost in Food and #Fiesta Friday with Fiesta Friday  and  Laurena @ Life Diet Health

Loved this recipe? Checkout the Recipe Index.

Seafood Stew

  • Seafood Stew
  • Seafood Stew
  • Seafood Stew
  • Seafood Stew

Seafood Stew – Quick and easy Moroccan-style recipe

This Moroccan-style Seafood Stew is one of my favourite recipes. It is extremely easy to make and tastes delicious. I find its cheerful yellow colour always puts me in a good mood. It combines warm spices – cumin, coriander and turmeric – with a bit of heat from cayenne in a rich, creamy sauce brightened with fresh lemon.

It is a regular week-night supper in our house. However, it is also perfect if you are entertaining as it can be made in advance. It is also one of those dishes that people always think are much more complicated and time-consuming than they actually are.

This recipe is based on one that I tried many years ago in Morocco. It is Moroccan-style but I have tinkered with it over the years. I am pretty sure that my version would not be considered authentic by anyone who is Moroccan but I think it tastes pretty good.

Seafood Stew
What you need to know about this Morrocan-style Seafood Stew
  • This stew contains warm spices – coriander, turmeric and cumin – which add a depth of flavour without without much heat. My recipe also includes half a teaspoon of cayenne. If you want something with a bit more spicy heat, you can increase the amount of cayenne to one teaspoon.
  • You can make this stew with lots of different types of seafood depending on what you like and what is available. I generally use a combination of prawns and clams. However, other variations include:
    • Substituting the clams for the same weight of mussels.
    • Just using prawns (in which case you would need to double the quantity to 700 g).
    • Making the dish with white fish (such as cod or monkfish) – you would need 700 g if you serving it on its own or 350 g if you are combining it with another ingredient.
  • I think of this as a “store cupboard” recipe. I buy packs of frozen clams and mussels at the supermarket which I keep in the freezer and use for a range of recipes. Similarly, I generally have frozen uncooked prawns and frozen fish fillets in the freezer. Seafood will defrost quickly so you are ready to go with this recipe within a couple of hours.
  • It is an incredibly quick and easy recipe. Although it sounds quite luxurious (and it certainly tastes like a more complicated dish) it can be thrown together in just over half an hour and is pretty much fool-proof. I often make it as a week-day supper when I am tired, and possibly a bit grumpy, after work and it is guaranteed to improve my mood! All it needs is a bowl of plain couscous – which just involves pouring boiling water over the grains and leaving for a couple of minutes – and maybe some steamed green vegetables.
  • You can make the recipe ahead of time up to step 5. Then when you are ready to eat, you just need to add the seafood and finish with the cream and lemon juice and you are good to go. This makes it a great option when you are entertaining as you can actually spend time with your guests rather than fiddling around for hours in the kitchen. It also looks quite glamorous with its bright yellow colour.
  • You can also freeze the sauce at step 5 point and defrost when required and then add the seafood, cream and lemon juice.
Seafood Stew
Other “week-night” suppers

This Seafood Stew is a store-cupboard recipe which is great for a quick “week-night” supper but is also special enough for entertaining. You might like the following recipes if you are looking for meals that are easy to make when you get home from work but are tasty enough to cheer you up after a long day.

If you need to eat within an hour, then pasta is a good way to go and Spaghetti with Smoked Salmon or Creamy Mushroom and Chestnut Pasta are good options. Alternatively, you may feel like a hit of crisp, buttery pastry such as Asparagus and Herb Cheese Tart or Shallot Tart both of which use ready-made puff pasty and are very quick and easy.

If you have time to prepare ahead of time, the following dishes can be made the day before, kept in the fridge and then warmed through when you get home. Luxurious Macaroni Cheese with Caramelised Onions is a great thing to have waiting for your supper. Similarly, you cannot go wrong with a quiche or tart, such as Feta Quiche with Roasted Peppers, Asparagus Quiche, Beetroot Tart, Butternut Squash Tart with Chilli and Sage, Caramelised Onion Tart, Carrot Tart, Garlic Tart or Smoked Salmon Tart with Prawns.

Moroccan-style Seafood Stew recipe
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Seafood Stew

Seafood Stew

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Tastebotanical
  • Prep Time: 5
  • Cook Time: 30
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 6
  • Category: Stew
  • Cuisine: Moroccan
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Description

This Moroccan-style Seafood Stew can be made in just over half an hour.  Its creamy sauce, flavoured with warm spices and freshened with lemon, is both exotic and comforting.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 50 g (2 oz) butter
  • 2 onions
  • 1 bulb of fennel
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • Half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper
  • 2 tablespoons plain flour
  • 600 ml  (1 pint) fish or vegetable stock
  • 350 g  (12 oz) raw shelled prawns
  • 500 g (1 lb) clams
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons of double cream

Seafood Stew

Instructions

  1. Melt the butter in a large, heavy based frying pan or casserole.
  2. Chop the onions and fennel and add to the pan.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook slowly for 15 minutes until the vegetables have softened.
  3. Add the coriander, turmeric, cumin and cayenne and cook for two minutes.
  4. Add the plain flour, stir to combine and cook for a further three minutes.
  5. Add the stock to the pan and heat gently until the sauce thickens.  This should take about 5 minutes.
  6. Add the raw prawns and clams to the pan and cook for a further 5 minutes.
  7. Add the lemon juice and cream just before serving.

Seafood Stew

Notes

You can use other combinations of seafood if you prefer.   You can use just prawns or substitute white fish (such as cod or monkfish).

You can make this recipe ahead up to step 5 and add the seafood, cream and lemon just before you are ready to eat.

This recipe has been shared on #CookBlogShare with the Peachicks Bakery and #Fiesta Friday with Fiesta Friday 

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