If you are thinking of cooking for a loved one on Valentine’s Day, then why not try this delicious starter, main and dessert, which all taste and look wonderful on the plate.
For the salad, the flavour of watercress just works so well with the beetroot. Or you could use rocket. Beetroot that you roast yourself are delicious so it is worth the effort.
Sea bass is a fish I have always enjoyed. It is popular on our Sunday lunch menu, where we serve it with cassoulet of beans, baby vegetables and Thai foam. In today’s recipe I especially love the ginger and chilli dressing. However, it doesn’t only taste great with fish: it would also work really well with some simply grilled chicken or pork.
The crème pot and seasonal berries is a Spanish dessert. It’s similar to the French crème brulée, except it is not cooked in the oven. Easy to make and surprisingly light – I can assure you it will go down a treat.
Happy cooking,
Neven
The Nation’s Favourite Healthy Food by Neven Maguire is published by Gill Books and priced at €22.99.
Roast Beetroot, Feta and
Watercress Salad
Serves four to six
100g (4oz) watercress
50g (2oz) ready-to-eat dried apricots, finely diced
100g (4oz) feta cheese crumbled
2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
Roast beetroot
500g (1¼ lb) raw small beetroot, peeled
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp clear honey
Dressing
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sherry vinegar (good quality)
1 tsp clear honey
½ small mild red chilli, seeded and finely diced
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas mark 6. To roast the beetroot, cut each beetroot in half or into quarters, until they are all evenly sized. Whisk together the thyme, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and honey and then drizzle over the beetroot pieces and season to taste. Toss until all the beetroot is thoroughly coated and then roast for 40 to 45 minutes, or until cooked through and glazed. Leave at room temperature to cool. 2 Put all the dressing ingredients in a screw-topped jar and season with salt and pepper, then shake until emulsified.3 Arrange the watercress on plates or use one large platter. Sprinkle over the apricots, feta, cooked baby beetroot and pine nuts. Just before serving, drizzle over the dressing.
Sea Bass with Ginger and Chilli
Serves four
4 x 150g (5oz) sea bass fillets, skin on and bones removed (scaled)
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
2.5cm (1in) piece fresh root ginger, peeled and cut into thin strips
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 red chilli, seeded and thinly sliced
2 spring onion, shredded lengthways
1 tbsp soy sauce
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
steamed fragrant rice, to serve
roughly chopped coriander, to garnish
1 Season the sea bass fillets with salt and pepper, then slash the skin of each one three times. 2 Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add one tablespoon of rapeseed oil.
3 Add the sea bass fillets to the pan skin-side down and cook for five minutes, until the skin is crispy and golden, pressing down gently with a fish slice if the fillets begin to curl. The fish will almost be cooked at this point so just turn over and cook for another minute. 4 Transfer to a plate and keep warm. You will have to cook the fish in two batches to cook it correctly.5 Wipe out the frying pan and then return to the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add the ginger, garlic and chilli and stir-fry for two minutes, until golden. 6 Remove from the heat and add the spring onions and soy sauce, swirling to combine. 7 To serve, place the sea bass fillets on plates and spoon over the dressing. Add a small mound of rice to each plate and scatter over the coriander.
Crème Pots with Seasonal Berries
Serves six to eight
6 egg yolks
150g (5oz) coconut sugar
40g (1½oz) cornflour
900ml (1½ pints) milk
1 cinnamon stick
finely grated rind of 1 lemon
finely grated rind of 1 orange
3 tbsp demerara sugar
seasonal berries, such as raspberries, blueberries and blackberries, to serve
1 Place the egg yolks in a heat-proof bowl with the coconut sugar and, using a hand-held whisk, beat for five minutes until thickened. Tip in the corn flour and mix well to combine.2 Place the milk in a pan with the cinnamon stick, lemon and orange rind. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and leave to infuse for five minutes.3 Strain the milk, discarding the cinnamon stick, lemon and orange rind and then gradually whisk into egg and sugar mixture. Place in a clean pan over a low heat. Cook gently for 10 to 15 minutes until, the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat.4 Leave to cool, then pour into individual dishes or ramekins and chill for at least four hours, or overnight is best to allow the custard pots to firm up.5 When ready to serve, sprinkle the tops evenly with the demerara sugar and caramelise with a blow torch or under a preheated, hot grill. Arrange on plates with a colourful selection of the seasonal berries to serve.
If you are thinking of cooking for a loved one on Valentine’s Day, then why not try this delicious starter, main and dessert, which all taste and look wonderful on the plate.
For the salad, the flavour of watercress just works so well with the beetroot. Or you could use rocket. Beetroot that you roast yourself are delicious so it is worth the effort.
Sea bass is a fish I have always enjoyed. It is popular on our Sunday lunch menu, where we serve it with cassoulet of beans, baby vegetables and Thai foam. In today’s recipe I especially love the ginger and chilli dressing. However, it doesn’t only taste great with fish: it would also work really well with some simply grilled chicken or pork.
The crème pot and seasonal berries is a Spanish dessert. It’s similar to the French crème brulée, except it is not cooked in the oven. Easy to make and surprisingly light – I can assure you it will go down a treat.
Happy cooking,
Neven
The Nation’s Favourite Healthy Food by Neven Maguire is published by Gill Books and priced at €22.99.
Roast Beetroot, Feta and
Watercress Salad
Serves four to six
100g (4oz) watercress
50g (2oz) ready-to-eat dried apricots, finely diced
100g (4oz) feta cheese crumbled
2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
Roast beetroot
500g (1¼ lb) raw small beetroot, peeled
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp clear honey
Dressing
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sherry vinegar (good quality)
1 tsp clear honey
½ small mild red chilli, seeded and finely diced
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas mark 6. To roast the beetroot, cut each beetroot in half or into quarters, until they are all evenly sized. Whisk together the thyme, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and honey and then drizzle over the beetroot pieces and season to taste. Toss until all the beetroot is thoroughly coated and then roast for 40 to 45 minutes, or until cooked through and glazed. Leave at room temperature to cool. 2 Put all the dressing ingredients in a screw-topped jar and season with salt and pepper, then shake until emulsified.3 Arrange the watercress on plates or use one large platter. Sprinkle over the apricots, feta, cooked baby beetroot and pine nuts. Just before serving, drizzle over the dressing.
Sea Bass with Ginger and Chilli
Serves four
4 x 150g (5oz) sea bass fillets, skin on and bones removed (scaled)
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
2.5cm (1in) piece fresh root ginger, peeled and cut into thin strips
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 red chilli, seeded and thinly sliced
2 spring onion, shredded lengthways
1 tbsp soy sauce
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
steamed fragrant rice, to serve
roughly chopped coriander, to garnish
1 Season the sea bass fillets with salt and pepper, then slash the skin of each one three times. 2 Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add one tablespoon of rapeseed oil.
3 Add the sea bass fillets to the pan skin-side down and cook for five minutes, until the skin is crispy and golden, pressing down gently with a fish slice if the fillets begin to curl. The fish will almost be cooked at this point so just turn over and cook for another minute. 4 Transfer to a plate and keep warm. You will have to cook the fish in two batches to cook it correctly.5 Wipe out the frying pan and then return to the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add the ginger, garlic and chilli and stir-fry for two minutes, until golden. 6 Remove from the heat and add the spring onions and soy sauce, swirling to combine. 7 To serve, place the sea bass fillets on plates and spoon over the dressing. Add a small mound of rice to each plate and scatter over the coriander.
Crème Pots with Seasonal Berries
Serves six to eight
6 egg yolks
150g (5oz) coconut sugar
40g (1½oz) cornflour
900ml (1½ pints) milk
1 cinnamon stick
finely grated rind of 1 lemon
finely grated rind of 1 orange
3 tbsp demerara sugar
seasonal berries, such as raspberries, blueberries and blackberries, to serve
1 Place the egg yolks in a heat-proof bowl with the coconut sugar and, using a hand-held whisk, beat for five minutes until thickened. Tip in the corn flour and mix well to combine.2 Place the milk in a pan with the cinnamon stick, lemon and orange rind. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and leave to infuse for five minutes.3 Strain the milk, discarding the cinnamon stick, lemon and orange rind and then gradually whisk into egg and sugar mixture. Place in a clean pan over a low heat. Cook gently for 10 to 15 minutes until, the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat.4 Leave to cool, then pour into individual dishes or ramekins and chill for at least four hours, or overnight is best to allow the custard pots to firm up.5 When ready to serve, sprinkle the tops evenly with the demerara sugar and caramelise with a blow torch or under a preheated, hot grill. Arrange on plates with a colourful selection of the seasonal berries to serve. 
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