Langoustine in Parsley and Garlic Oil

10 Langoustine or King Prawns (enough to cover the bottom of your frying pan)
Sea Salt
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tbsp Fresh Chopped Parsley
1 Clove Garlic
Lime Juice

• Cover the bottom of the frying pan with sea salt.
• Lay the langoustine on top and let the heat conduct into them
• Let the prawns cook on top of the salt
• Mix the garlic, parsley, olive oil and lime juice together
• Once the langoustine and cooked through chuck in the oil and make sure all of the langoustine are covered.
• Serve!

Top tip: we decided langoustine are a bit much effort and this would be just as tasty with king prawns that have already been shelled.

Patatas Bravas

Potatoes:
New Potatoes - boiled with skin on and then chopped into small 2cm pieces
Sea Salt
Ground Pepper
Red Chilli
1 Garlic Clove
1/2 Lime Juice

Sauce:
Passata
Ground Pepper
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
Red Chilli

• In a small pan started to cook down the passata, paprika, pepper, salt and red chilli.
• Use as much chilli as you want depending on how spicy you like it.  I used about a tsp.
• You want a thick sauce.
• 
  
• Heat some oil in a frying pan until it is really hot.
• Throw in the cooked potatoes with the chopped garlic, and red chilli.
• Tip on the lime juice and fry everything together.
• Cook through until browned on all sides and slightly crispy.
• Add the salt and pepper to taste.
• Tip into serving dish and pour the tomato sauce on the top.

Top Tip: This will be really nice served with a grilled chicken breast or with the chorizo and cider tapas dish.

Chorizo in Cider

3 Sainsbury's Chorizo Style Pork Sausages
Good Quality Cider (flat or fizzy)
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
Freshly Ground Pepper
Sea Salt
Olive Oil

• Pour cider into the saucepan - enough to cover the sausages.  Bring to a simmer.
• Place 3 sausages into the cider.
• Cook sausages for about 20mins, or until cooked all the way through.
• Take out the sausages and bring sauce to the boil to reduce.
• Add paprika, salt, pepper, and olive oil to taste.
• Cut up the sauces and the pour over the sauce.  It will be almost syrupy once the cider has reduced.

Top Tip: Make loads and eat loads! Soooo tasty!  Mix up what you add to the sauce and try some different flavours.

Sunday Brunch

{5th August}

We like to spend a Sunday morning watching Sunday Brunch on Channel 4.  This is quite often accompanied by pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon and maple syrup - true American style. 

However this Sunday I was completely inspired by one of the cooking sections on Sunday Brunch with Omar Allibhoy.  Very sexy spanish accent on a Sunday morning! Lovely!

I popped over to Sainsbury's to buy all the fresh ingredients to cook our own Tapas for lunch.  On the menu we had: Crusty bread, spanish black and green olives, manchego cheese and palma ham, grilled langoustine cooked in garlic and parsley oil, chorizo in cider, meatballs in tomato and paprika sauce, and patatas bravas.

To be honest I have never cooked any of these before and I don't tend to cook to recipes.  My mum used to get cross with me for never reading a recipe properly, and now I just don't really bother.  I like to make it up as I go along.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.  For the langoustine and chorizo I listened to the ingredients that Omar put into his dishes and elaborated, and for the meatballs and patatas bravas I just sort of made it up!

I'm pleased to say that all worked very well and I will definitely be cooking them again.

Recipes to follow.

Langoustine in parsley and garlic oil

Chorizo in Cider

Patatas Bravas