23 Apr 2011

Asparagus, haddock and smokey bacon fishcakes with herby mayonnaise

It's Asparagus season and this recipe from British Asparagus is sure to tickle the tastebuds. Enjoy it as a Bank holiday lunch or supper and then kick back and relax while reading This Last Summer or Sweet Seduction. Read sample chapters here

Serves 2 adults and 2 children

You’ll need:

1 bunch British asparagus
25g butter
2 rashers streaky smoked bacon, diced
500g mashed potato
500g cooked haddock, flaked
2 egg yolks
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp chopped chives
Sea salt & black pepper
Pinch nutmeg
Flour and 2 beaten eggs
200g fresh breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil

Herby mayonnaise
4 tbsp mayonnaise
4 tbsp chopped fresh herbs e.g. parsley, chives, basil, tarragon
Juice of ½ lemon
Sea salt and black pepper

What to do:

1. Clean the asparagus and trim any white ends or peel with a vegetable peeler. Cut the tip off each spear and reserve. Chop the rest of the spear into small pieces.

2. Melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the asparagus and bacon for 2 minutes, allow to cool slightly and remove with a slotted spoon. Add to the mashed potato and haddock. Add the egg yolks, mayonnaise, parsley, chives, seasoning and nutmeg and combine together.

3. Divide the mixture into 6, shaping it into patties with your hands. Dust each cake with flour, dip in beaten egg and roll in breadcrumbs, re-shaping if necessary. Refrigerate for 1 hour, 2 if possible.

4. Mix the mayonnaise ingredients and set aside.

5. Pour ½ inch of vegetable oil into a heavy based frying pan and place over a moderately high heat. When the oil is hot, add the fishcakes and cook for 4 minutes each side until golden brown, basting with oil to brown the sides.

6. Remove the fishcakes from the pan and place on a warm plate. Add the asparagus tips to the hot pan and fry for 1 minute.

7. Serve the fishcakes with the pan fried asparagus, a little wilted spinach and the herby mayonnaise.
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16 Apr 2011

Sample Sunday Cookoff - Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Pate

This is a recipe for a dip that our friends Sharon and Andrew served up as a starter at dinner a couple of weeks ago. It was so fab even my husband, who hates fish, liked it so much he made it himself the next day.

Have some of this with some tortilla chips while you lounge around and read This Last Summer or Sweet Seduction on your kindle- scroll down for the links in US and UK.

Ingredients:
-One pack (120-200g) of smoked salmon. (If in the UK buy Sainsbury's Basics Smoked Salmon Trimmings - it's going in the food processor so it doesn't need to be pretty, just tasty.)
-1 medium tub of cream cheese with chives - you can use low fat version
-Juice of half a lemon
-Salt and black pepper to taste

The method is easy peasy - bung it all in the food processor and whizz around. I prefer it not too smooth but with chunks of salmon still visible so don't get overexcited with the blender.

Serve  on blinis or in a dish with chunks of bread or tortilla chips or bread sticks. I'm feeling hungry just typing this it's so good.
Read Excerpts of This Last Summer and Sweet Seduction at http://www.tirraoro.com/preview.html
Buy This Last Summer ($2.99/£1.71) and Sweet Seduction (99c/70p):
or buy this book in other formats from  Smashwords

Or buy in other formats from Smashwords
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15 Apr 2011

Ebook Reader Survey

Thanks for visiting - the survey is now closed while the data received is analysed. Check back for an update of the results in a couple of days!

Update: See the results here: http://notasadvertised.blogspot.com/2011/05/ebook-survey-results.html
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2 Apr 2011

Another supper recipe for a spring evening

When I'm not writing, I work in PR and at Hampshire Farmers' Market we've been working with local environmental group, Greening Petersfield on developing great recipes made with farmers' market produce. This month's recipe is another spring/summer supper special is Goat's Cheese and Swiss Chard Tart. Visit the site for lots more recipes, market dates and great offers as well as for a PDF download of this recipe.
Goat's Cheese and Swiss Chard Tart 
Shortcrust pastry
150 gm plain flour
75gm butter
Filling
350 gm shallots
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp cooking oil
500 gm swiss chard
1 roll soft goats cheese (can use your favourite) from Nutknowle
Salt and Pepper
Method:
1. Light oven gas Mk 4,180 C
2. Make pastry. Rub together flour and fat until resemble breadcrumbs. Add a little water and gathe into a ball.
Roll out thinly (1/2 cm) on floured sur-face. Line a 10 inch flan tin. Put aside.
3. Chop shallots & garlic,. Pull chard leaves from stalks, chop stalks into 1cm lengths.
4. Fry onions until they go golden.
Add shallots, chard stalks & garlic. finish frying on gentle heat. Season with salt and pepper.
Remove from heat and allow to cool.
5. Add chard leaves and place in pastry case. Cut the goat’s cheese into chunks and place these on top of the vegetables, pushing them in slightly.
6. Cook for 30mins until golden
 Visit the HFM recipe page for a full colour pdf download with photo of this recipe.
Read Excerpts of This Last Summer and Sweet Seduction at http://www.tirraoro.com/preview.html

or buy this book in other formats from  Smashwords

Or buy in other formats from Smashwords
Read More »