Carrot and Ginger Soup

I just love the floral and spicy overtones of ginger. Careful not to put too much; a little goes a long way. The nutmeg adds a smokey essence to the soup and the cream just makes it extra comforting.

Ingredients

4 medium sized carrots
3 medium sized potatoes 

1 red onion                   

Natural Yogurt

1 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger                       

Olive oil

1 liter of water  

Salt

A pinch of nutmeg

Sauté the ginger and the chopped onion in a bit of olive oil for about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the water and bring to a boil. Season with salt and add in the chopped vegetables. Cook for about 30 minutes at medium heat. Blend the ingredients in a mixer and pour into the pot. Reheat slightly. Serve with a spoon of yogurt and a pinch of nutmeg.

The perfect soup for an Autumn day.

Monk-fish stew with mango puré and 

garden vegetables with rosemary

In the Caribbean  due to the plentiful fruit available locals like to mix fruit into their meals. I got this idea travelling and mixed Monk-fish with a mango puré. Add some chili peppers to spice it up a bit. A fresh meal for a warm day.

Ingredients

Fish

300 mg of frozen monk-fish cubes

1 finely sliced red onion

1/2 finely sliced red pepper

lime zest

1 tsp of paprika

3 large fresh basil leaves

olive oil

salt 

Mango puré

1 medium sized ripe mango

Salt 

1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper

Garden veggies with rosemary

1 large zucchini 

2 large carrots

1 tsp brown sugar

Salt

Ground pepper

2 sprigs of rosemary

Olive oil

In a small pot place 2 tbs of olive oil and add the peeled chopped mango. Season with salt and cayenne pepper. Let cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes and add 50 ml of water. Let the liquid evaporate and mash with a potato masher. Set aside. 

Season the monk-fish with lime zest and salt. Set aside. In a medium sized pan sauté the onion and red pepper in a bit of olive oil on low heat. Allow them to gently caramelize about 7 minutes. Turn up the heat and add the monk-fish. Stir gently and season with paprika. Let cook during 4 minutes, cover and switch off the heat.

Preheat the oven to 170ºc. Cut the zucchini length wise and remove the seeds. Chop into large squares and season with sea salt in a strainer for 20 minutes. Peal and cut the carrots more or less the same size. In a medium size bowl add the vegetables and flavor with a pinch of salt, brown sugar, ground pepper and olive oil. Mix well! Lay the vegetables on an oven proof dish and add the sprigs of rosemary. Cook for about 20 minutes occasionally stirring the vegetables.

Reheat the mango puré and lay the fish stew over the bed of mango and sprinkle chopped fresh basil leaves. Serve with the rosemary veggies. 

Serves 2

Fruit Cobbler

A Cobbler is nothing more, nothing less than a pie without a bottom crust. Perfect to recycle over ripened fruit and when you do not have much time for cooking. Serve with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients

Filling

A variety of 10 pieces of your favorite ripe fresh fruit (I prefer apple, pear, peach and raspberries)

A pinch of ginger powder

1 tsp of vanilla extract

A pinch of nutmeg 

1 tbs of cinnamon 

200 ml of condensed milk

Crumble

100 g of butter

100 g of margarine

200 g sugar

200 g flour

Peal and pit the fruit into medium sized cubes and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Blend in the condensed milk and set aside.

Preheat your oven to 160ºc.

In a separate bowl add the ingredients for you crumble. With your finger gently blend the butter and margarine into the sugar and flour in order to get a grainy consistency.

Butter a baking dish and pour in the filling. Cover generously with the crumble. Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes, until the crust is golden.