Mediterranean fish stew

I've been cooking up this fantastic fish stew for a while now, it's so delicious I new I'd have to post the recipe but it kept getting eaten before I could take a photo!

I've finally managed to get a shot after cooking this three times in less than a month, thankfully it tastes so good that I could never get bored with eating it.This is one of those dishes that you can mix about a bit, you can use all kinds of vegetables and different types of fish too. I kept my stew quite simple using sweet peppers, celery and fennel, for the fish I used monkfish and cod. There are loads of things you could use such as courgettes, aubergines, or artichokes, for the fish you could use haddock, prawns, halibut, scallops etc. It's up to you...The secret ingredient in this dish is the fennel, it's the perfect partner to the fish and gives the stew a slightly sweet aniseedy backnote. It's flavour is subtle but it makes a big difference to the flavour.I like to serve this with good crusty bread a wedge of lemon, a glass of chilled white wine is a very welcome partner too.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

• Olive oil
  
• A large onion, chopped
• A bulb of fennel, finely shredded
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped
• 2 large sweet peppers (yellow or red) chopped into largeish chunks
• A glass of white wine
• A 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
• About 500g of fish, chopped into bite-size chunks (cod, haddock, monkfish, prawns, halibut etc)
• A handful of basil leaves, finely chopped (optional)
• A bunch of parsley, finely chopped

Method:

• In a large pan over a medium heat sweat the onion in the olive oil for two or three minutes
• Add the garlic, fennel and peppers to the pan, stir and cook for a few minutes more stirring occasionally
• Pour in the white wine and let it cook for a minute or so
• Add the tomatoes, season with salt then cover and let simmer gently for about 20 minutes or until everything is tender
• Add the fish and basil (if using) stir well and cover, leave for around fives minutes or until the fish is cooked though
• Serve scattered with the parsley with good bread and a squeeze of lemon
  

Beef and Guinness casserole

When I set out yesterday morning there was a distinct chill in the air, although I hate to admit it I have to accept that winter is coming.
Now I'm not a big fan of winter, there's something about the freezing cold the sun setting at 4:00 and the terrible weather that just doesn't appeal to me. The only consolation is that when conditions outside are so bad it is the perfect time to cook food this good.
Casseroles and stews are amongst my foods of choice during the winter, perfect for warming up again after I've been out in the freezing cold! They also provide a great way to use all the winter roots that are abundant at this time of year.Last night I cooked Beef and Guinness casserole, although it was a simple affair containing few ingredients it packed in plenty of flavour, thanks largely to the Guinness. This beer (stout to be accurate) has an intense flavour that is a perfect match for beef. After long slow cooking the flavour mellows quite significantly to leave a beautifully rich meaty gravy which is why I served mine with good crusty bread to mop up every last bit.

Recipe

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 2 pounds (900g) Stewing beef, diced.
• 6 onions roughly chopped.
• 4-5 carrots roughly chopped.
• 2-3 sticks of celery roughly chopped.
• 2 cloves of garlic crushed and chopped.
• Herbs, I used thyme sage and bay.
• 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard.
  
• 1 can of Guinness (you could use another beer, choose something with plenty of flavour)
• 1 Beef stock cube.
• Salt and pepper
  

Method

• Preheat oven on a low heat, around gas mark 2.
  
• Heat some oil in a large oven-proof pan on the hob and brown the meat on all sides.
• Add all the vegetables to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes.
• Add everything else to the pan and season well with salt and pepper.
• Make sure everything is well mixed, put a lid on the pan and put in the oven for at least 2 hours, preferably longer.
• Serve with good bread.
  

Classic French Coq au vin

Last night I cooked the classic French dish, Coq au vin. When I was making this I was reminded of the Blackadder episode where Baldrick offers Blackadder Rat au vin, when asked what exactly that entails Baldrick replies it's rat that's been run over by a van!!
Luckily I didn't have to resort to anything scraped off the road! For my Coq au vin I used chicken legs although to be truly authentic I should have used a cockerel rather than chicken. Traditionally it was the old, and therefore tough birds that were used, hence the need for long slow cooking.Coq au vin is delicious and simple to make, unfortunately it seems to have gone out of fashion, I say it's time for a comeback! Very few ingredients are required for this, it can vary a bit but it always contains onions/shallots, bacon, mushrooms, chicken, red wine and a bouquet garni. These are cooked together for a good few hours until the chicken is meltingly tender and the wine has reduced to an intense and delicious sauce.
I was really pleased with how this came out, it was packed with flavour and really tasty. I served mine with French bread but it would be great with mashed potatoes too.

While I didn't use a recipe but this recipe by James martin is almost identical.