Lobster soup with basil cream # 81

This is a classic lobster soup, only served in small portions with some basil cream. I served it without any lobster meat but feel free to add some. Also for the soup you can replace lobster shells with most other seafood shells like shrimp or langoustine.

Lobster soup with basil cream

lobster shells
onion
carrot
tomato puré
bay leaf
garlic
thyme
water
white wine
cream
olive oil
salt, pepper

creme fraiche
basil
salt, pepper

Crush the shells, finely chop the vegetables and gently roast the shells with the vegetables for a few minutes in some olive oil, add wine, tomato puré, bay leaf, thyme and cover with water.

Simmer for about half an hour, turn of the heat and let the stock rest for another hour. Strain the stock and reduce until about half is left, add some cream and reduce until it starts to thicken. Season with salt and pepper.

Finely chop the basil and combine with the creme fraiche, season with salt and pepper.

Sardine with grilled bread and lemon #80

Sardine with grilled bread and lemon

Well as far as tapas goes it doesn´t get any easier than this, make sure you buy high quality sardines in olive oil.

canned sardines

bread

lemon

black pepper

olive oil

Open can and fillet the sardines so you´ll get whole fillets. Cut the bread into rectangles a bit bigger than the sardines. Peel and fillet the lemon. Grill the bread, add a sardine, a fillet of lemon and a few drops of olive oil and some black pepper. Serve.

Borettane onions with red wine, lemon & balsamic vinegar # 79

Great on it´s own if you´re into Borettane onions but it´s also perfect as a side dish for grilled meats. You don´t have to use Borettane onions so feel free to replace it with any small onion but make sure it´s small enough to eat in one bite.

Borettane onions with red wine, lemon & balsamic vinegar

Borettane onions

red wine

balsamic vinegar

sugar

salt, pepper

parsley

lemon

Peel and wash the onions, add the onions into a pot and add wine until it´s almost covered, the add the vinegar. Use about four parts wine to one part vinegar. Bring to a slow simmer and let it reduce, when you´re getting low on liquid turn the onions so they´ll cook evenly. Keep reducing until the liquid starts to get thicker. If the onions are not cooked through by then just add some water and reduce it again. 

Remove the onions from the liquid and add some lemon peel and let simmer for a minute, season with salt, pepper and if needed a pinch of sugar. Let the sauce cool for a minute and then put the onions back and cover them with the sauce. Add some finely chopped parsley and some more lemon peel for decoration. Serve.

Calamari with chili, garlic & red onion #78

Calamari with chili, garlic & red onion

Calamari, small
red onion
garlic
fresh red chili
parsley
olive oil
lemon juice
salt, pepper

Chop and slice garlic, chili and parsley, peel and slice the red onion. Rinse the calamari in water and pad dry.
Roast the calamari in a pan with some olive oil until golden on each side. In a different pan add some olive oil and the garlic and chilies. Heat the oil and add the roasted calamari, parsley and a squeeze of a lemon.

Put the calamari on a plate and add the red onion, serve.

Grilled onion, parnsip pure & olive oil poached egg yolk #77

This may look a bit complicated but is really quite simple to do, only tricky thing is to get the egg poached so it´s still creamy. Feel free to exchange the poached yolk for a regular soft boiled egg if you like.

Grilled onion, parsnip pure & olive oil poached egg yolk

parsnips

garlic

cream

egg yolk

olive oil

fresh onion

salt, pepper

Peel and cut the parsnip into small pieces, boil in water with a clove of garlic until completely cooked through. I used one clove of garlic for two parsnips, this give the pure a mild touch of garlic without getting to dominant. Discard the water and add a little bit of cream and blend into a smooth pure, season with salt and pepper.

Add a spoonful of olive oil into an espresso cup or coffee cup, carefully put one egg yolk into the oil add a pinch of salt and cook the yolk on low heat in the oven until almost set. I cooked my egg on 100°C / 210 F and it took about ten minutes. Easiest way is to carefully tap on the yolk with your fingertip to feel when the egg starts to set. When done remove from the heat and remove the yolk from the oil with a spoon.

Wash and split the onion in half and brush it with olive oil, grill until soft on a grill, season with salt and pepper. Arrange parsnip pure, egg yolk and the grilled onion on a plate, serve warm.

Fennel with feta cheese & chili #76

This is a great and simple recipe for one of the most underrated vegetables, it works great as an appetizer or side dish for the forthcoming barbecues. You could also serve it with some extra oil on some lettuce as a light lunch, good luck.

Fennel with feta cheese & chili

Fresh fennel

feta cheese

olive oil

chives, sliced

lemon juice

fresh red chili, diced

salt, black pepper

Wash and cut the fennel lengthwise, remove most of the root but leave just a little bit so the fennel will hold together. Roast the fennel in olive oil on medium heat in a frying pan until it´s golden on both sides. 

Combine olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, chili and chives, season to taste. Put the fennel on a plate and add feta cheese and black pepper, add the vinaigrette.

Baked egg with Pimientos de padron & Tabasco # 75

Baked egg with Pimientos de padron & Tabasco

Really simple and fun way to serve eggs, you can use all sorts of topping. I chose to go for some pimientos de padron and a healthy dose of Tabasco. You can also find a separate recipe for the pimientos de padron here.

1 egg
a few fresh pimientos de padron
Tabasco, habanero or regular depending on how hot you´ll like it
salt, pepper
olive oil

Add a few drops of olive oil in the cup and crack the egg into the cup, season with salt and black pepper.
Cook the egg on medium heat in the oven until the white has almost set. Meanwhile roast the pimientos in a frying pan on high heat until roasted on both sides, season with salt.

Take out the egg from the oven and add the pimientos and a few drops of Tabasco, serve immediately.