Lemon salmon

A really poor show from me this month. It's been a few weeks that I don't really want to live through again in a hurry to be honest. Family members in hospital, aged relatives getting more dependant, my purse (and therefore my identity) stolen and until the refund came through I was £6,500 poorer. Need I go on ?

In the middle of all this my cooking mojo upped and left me. We were eating whatever we could find in the freezer and cupboards and several takeaways featured in there too, all in all not very healthy and definitely some dubious food stuffs were consumed.

More recently Weight Watchers have released their new pro-points system. I've been a WW fan for years having lost 2 stone before my wedding (and put it on again when I got pregnant) then lost it again (and then put it on again when I got pregnant with son no2) - spot a theme here ?? Anyway I've been faffing around with my weight loss since I decided low carb really wasn't for me - despite the amazing weight loss, the headaches, horrible taste in my mouth and ahem, bowel issues just were not worth it.

I started the new system on Monday as soon as it was released online and this week I've recorded a 4lb weight loss !!!!! This meal featured in my plan this week and was delicious, even the kids liked it. It's taken from Nigella's Kitchen book.

LEMON SALMON WITH COUSCOUS
serves 4

200g couscous

3tsp sea salt flakes

1/2 tsp paprika

1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

250ml boiling water

1/2 small red onion finely chopped

zest & juice 1 lemon

1 tbsp garlic oil plus another tsp

300g cherry tomatoes

4 salmon fillets

4x tbsp chopped coriander

Put the couscous in a large heatproof bowl. Add 2 tsp salt, all the ginger and 1/2 the paprika.

Stir everything around before covering and setting aside

Into a dish which will take the salmon fillets snugly, grate the lemon zest. Add the rest of the salt & paprika and then the tbsp of garlic oil

In another bowl put the finely chopped onion and lemon juice

In yet another dish put the halved cherry tomatoes, tip over the last tsp of garlic oil and mix about

Add the salmon to the zest dish and mix well coating in the zesty garlic mix

Put the fillets in a hot pan and cook until just done

While the fish is resting add the tomatoes & lemony onion mix to the couscous and fluff with a fork. Taste & alter seasoning as you wish. Then add 3 tbsp of coriander.

Serve, using the last tbsp of coriander as a garnish.

This was also lovely cold the next day with some salad in my lunchbox !

30 days / 30 things Day 27

I WILL finish this by the end of the month, I WILL ! Ok, so that's today then ....

So, day 27 was my third cookery book review of the month. This took some thinking about and then I bought a new one today with a voucher I had been given and oh my goodness. I've only flicked through it so far but I think it's a keeper. I've found several things in there that I would like to cook already !

I have several of Nigella's books and even though I like her less than I used to, I still find her books excellent. I have found in recent years she seems to have become a parody of herself which is sad. Her last TV show came in for A LOT of stick - I think it was Nigella Express (another good book !).

While I can't recommend any recipes from this book, I'm looking forward to when the boys are in bed later sitting down with a cuppa and having a good peruse. God, I'm so rock and roll !!

Summer berry pavlova

Meringue is one of those things I have never managed to make. Something that I'd built up in my head to a catastrophe in the making ! It's up there with my fear of cooking shellfish (which I have now managed to over come).

Anyway I decided to tackle this fear headlong and of all the times I chose to do this it was when we had friends coming over for dinner. So never one to take the easy route, off I went.

I chose the recipe from Nigella's How to Eat book as I had been assured it was fool proof. What I was after was the perfect meringue. Nice and crispy on the outside but also lovely and squidgy on the inside. I had been assured that I needed a scrupulously clean bowl, fresh eggs and a good beater and it worked. I ended up with a MONSTER pavlova which was met with lots of "mmmmm"s and plenty of clean plates. RESULT !!

SUMMER BERRY PAVLOVA
serves approx 8 - very approximately !!

250g golden caster sugar
pinch salt
4 egg whites
2tsp cornflour
1tsp white wine vinegar
few drops of vanilla extract

For the filling

Lots of double cream - I can't be exact but I used approx 2/3 of a 600ml pot of cream
Box of Waitrose frozen summer berry mix

Whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until soft peaks
Beat in the sugar a 1/3 at a time
Sprinkle over the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla and gently fold in
Put the meringue mix onto a tray lined with non-stick tray liner or greaseproof paper and make to approx 20cm diameter
Put into an oven pre-heated to 180C and turn down immediately to 140C
Cook for 1 1/4 hours then turn the oven off and leave to cool in the oven overnight

Remove from oven and get decorating. I whipped the cream and then sprinkled over the berries, stages as below.

                    

My gorgeous new kitchen buy

I am so totally in love with these Nigella measuring cups and have been coveting them for some time now. Finally I felt that it was my birthday - today if anyone is interested (LOL) - and I deserved them.

They have just arrived from Amazon and OMG they are even better in real life, they are currently sitting on the side and I keep drooling over them. I have a chocolate cake recipe just waiting to be made so I can christen them, and what better to first use them for ?

Now I just need to start expanding my Emma Bridgewater collection and I will truely be a happy bunny !