Food Essentials

Ingredients
2 spring onions
½ a bulb of fennel
1 carrot
200 g ripe mixed-colour cherry tomatoes , on the vine
3 cloves of garlic
½ a fresh red chilli
8-10 mixed olives , (stone in)
olive oil
2 x 350 g whole round fish , such as royal bream, trout, sea bass, red mullet, scaled, gutted, gills removed, from sustainable sources
1 bunch of mixed fresh soft herbs (30g) , such as flat-leaf parsley, mint, fennel tops
150 g Greco di Tufo white wine
1 lemon
extra virgin olive oil

Method
Trim the spring onions and fennel (reserving any leafy tops), peel the carrot, then slice them all ½cm thick. Halve the tomatoes. Peel and finely slice the garlic and chilli. Squash and destone the olives. Put a large frying pan on a high heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Stir in the onions, fennel and carrot, followed 4 minutes later by the tomatoes, garlic, chilli and olives. Toss regularly for 2 minutes while you lightly score the fish on both sides (this will help flavour and heat to pe*****te as it cooks).

Lay the fish on top of the veg, stuff half the herbs into the cavities, then pour over the wine and let it reduce by half. Add about 300ml of water, to come 1cm up the side of the pan. Cover and leave to thunder away on a high heat for 8 minutes (boiling underneath, steaming on top means fragrant veggies). Pick the remaining herb leaves, finely grate the lemon zest over them, then chop and mix together.

Uncover the fish and baste with its juices for 1 minute. To check the fish is cooked, go to the thickest part up near the head – if the flesh flakes easily away from the bone, it’s done. Remove to a plate, spoon over the veg and juices, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, scatter over the lemony herbs, then squeeze over the lemon juice. Great served with bread to mop up that irresistible sauce, or with new potatoes, couscous or rice.

Ingredients
800 g new potatoes
4 tablespoons crème fraîche , or soured cream
2 lemons
extra virgin olive oil
4 heaped tablespoons fresh horseradish , or jarred horseradish
1 bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley , (30g)
½ a bunch of fresh chives
1 small bunch of spring onions
300 g hot-smoked trout , from sustainable sources

Method
Scrub the potatoes and cook them in boiling salted water until tender, then drain.
While still warm, but cool enough to handle, either cut the potatoes in half or squash them into a large salad bowl.
Add the crème fraîche, the zest and juice of 1 lemon and 4 tablespoons of oil. Toss around, then season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.
Add or finely grate in the horseradish, tasting as you go, then finely chop the parsley and chives and throw these into the bowl.
Trim, finely slice and add the spring onions, tear in the smoked trout, and mix together.
Now it’s very important to balance your salad with more seasoning and maybe an extra squeeze of lemon juice. You may even want to give it more of a kick by adding some extra horseradish. Personally, I love to add a lot of horseradish and make it really hot.
Great served as a starter, salad or even dinner if you love it as much as I do.