Pigeon Cottage Kitchen

Jumbo prawn curry with tomatoes

Posted on March 17, 2023 by Janet Davies @pigeoncottage

My favourite prawn curry up till now has always been spicy prawns with courgettes. Well, that is until now… just love this one. Jumbo prawns in a delicious coconut sauce, fragrant with curry leaves and fresh ginger; serve with fluffy basmati rice. I make the sauce ahead of time to allow the flavours to develop and then add the prawns just before serving.

Serves 4

450g raw, peeled King prawns. I use two 225g packs of Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference frozen King prawns, defrosted
1 x 400ml tin of good quality coconut milk (I use Amoy)
4 green chillies, remove the stalks, slice into 4 and remove the seeds
60ml light rapeseed oil
2 tsp mustard seeds
1x 10g pack of curry leaves (Sainsbury’s), taken off the stalk
300g finely chopped white onion
15g garlic, peeled and grated into a paste
15g ginger peeled and grated into a paste
30g fresh ginger cut into fine matchsticks
1 large pinch of dried red chilli flakes
2 tsps salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground turmeric
4 large ripe tomatoes, skinned and quartered
juice of 2 limes

To make…

Heat the oil in a pan with the mustard seeds. Add the curry leaves and allow them to fry lightly. Remove half of the curry leaves and drain them on kitchen paper. Set aside.
Add the onion and fry for about 15 minutes until soft but not coloured.
Add the garlic and ginger pastes, salt, pepper, turmeric, chilli flakes and stir for a few minutes. Add the chillies and ginger matchsticks. Cook and stir for another 3 minutes. Pour in the coconut milk and simmer for 15 minutes. Take off the heat, allow to cool and decant into a jug, Refrigerate until required. I like to leave it for a few hours so that the flavours can develop properly.
Put your rice on to cook and serving bowls on to warm.
Reheat the sauce on medium heat, add the raw prawns and tomatoes to the sauce. It will only take a few minutes. Once the prawns turn from grey to pink, they’re done. Overcook and the prawns will turn hard and rubbery. At the last minute, add the juice of two limes and stir.
Arrange the rice on one half of the warmed bowl, add the prawns and sauce to the other side and top with the fried curry leaves.

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Posted in Recipes, Seafood | Tagged coconut milk, curry leaves, Garlic, ginger, green chillies, mustard seeds, Onion, prawns, tomatoes, Turmeric | Leave a comment

Grilled cod with savoy cabbage and bacon

Posted on March 10, 2023 by Janet Davies @pigeoncottage

We have a new fishmonger who brings his van to the village on Fridays now so I thought I’d try out his wares. I bought a fabulous piece of thick cod loin fillet and it was just delicious – way better than anything I can buy in a supermarket. I prefer simple treatments for cooking fish and invest the effort in making interesting side dishes; this Savoy cabbage recipe cooked with onion, bacon, stock and beer goes beautifully and is perfect for low carb eating too.

Serves 4

4 x 200g pieces of unskinned, thick cod loin fillet
1 small Savoy cabbage, cored and sliced into thin strips
50g unsalted butter
2 tbsps light olive oil
1 x 100g pack of pancetta, cut into thin strips
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
300ml chicken stock
300ml pale ale
2 tbsps finely chopped curly parsley
Salt and black pepper

To make…

First, prep the cod. Lay it skin side down and sprinkle heavily with salt. This seasons and firms up the fish. Leave it for 20 minutes rinse off the salt and dry the fish with some kitchen roll. Arrange the fish, flesh side down onto a greased baking sheet. Melt half the butter, brush the cod with a little of it. Sprinkle the skin with a little salt and pepper.
For the cabbage, put it into a large pan of boiling, salted water and bring back to the boil. Cook for 2 minutes, drain into a large sieve or colander and refresh it under cold running water. This stops it cooking any further a retains the bright green colour.
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based pan, add the pancetta and fry until crisp and lightly golden. Add the rest of the melted butter, the onion and garlic and fry for 10 minutes until the onion is soft and lightly browned. Add the chicken stock and the beer and reduce the volume by three-quarters over a high heat.
Whilst the liquid is reducing, preheat the grill to high. Set a timer and grill the cod for 8 minutes until the skin is crisp and the fish is cooked through.
Go back to the beer mixture and add in the Savoy cabbage and the rest of the butter. Cook gently for 5 minutes until the cabbage is tender. Check the seasoning – it’s more likely to need pepper not salt; add the parsley and keep warm. Put some plates on to warm too.
Both the fish and the cabbage should be ready by now. Divide the cabbage between the four plates and top with the fish. Enjoy!

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Posted in Recipes, Seafood, Vegetables | Tagged beer, chicken stock, cod, Onion, pancetta, Savoy cabbage | Leave a comment

Linguine with Pecorino and black pepper – ‘cacio e pepe’

Posted on March 3, 2023 by Janet Davies @pigeoncottage

I’ve been meaning to whip up a bowl of this simple pasta dish for ages; originating in Rome, it appears on smart restaurant menus all over the place these days. As there are only three ingredients, linguine, Pecorino Romano cheese and black pepper, they all have to be top quality. The consistency of the sauce is key so you need to work quickly to combine the warm pasta, the finely grated cheese and cooking water at the end. I had a couple of minor fails before I got it right but it’s so worth the effort because it’s completely delicious. Served with a green salad and a nice glass of red, it’s a perfect fast supper dish.

Serves 2
200g linguine (you can make it with spaghetti, I just prefer linguine)
100g Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated
1 tbsp olive oil
5g freshly ground black pepper
Salt

To make…

Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil and cook the linguine until cooked al dente (tender but firm to the bite) – it usually takes about 10 minutes. Drain immediately, reserving a cup full of the cooking water.
In a separate pan (a non-stick frying pan works best) add the olive oil and black pepper, a couple of spoonful of the pasta water and mix thoroughly. Allow to cool.
Add the drained linguine to the frying pan and add about 50ml of the reserved water back in.
Carefully shower in the cheese, stirring with a wooden spoon or fork as you do so to create a creamy sauce. It’s important to add the cheese gradually and stir quickly so that the cheese doesn’t form into lumps. Add more of the cooking water if necessary to make the sauce silky.
Divide the linguine into two warmed bowls to serve. Sprinkle with a little more pepper.

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To get the latest #TheFridayRecipe from the Pigeon Cottage Kitchen blog, just add your email address to the subscribe box at the top right-hand column of the website.
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Posted in Pasta, Recipes | Tagged black pepper, linguine, pecorino | Leave a comment

Linguine with white onion and anchovy sauce

Posted on February 17, 2023 by Janet Davies @pigeoncottage

The ingredients in this pasta sauce are very simple and it takes less than half an hour to make but it still packs quite a flavour punch. I’ve usually got packs of linguine, onions, garlic and canned anchovies in my store cupboard so I can whip up this homely, comforting dish anytime without really having to plan ahead. It’s a good budget-conscious recipe for these straightened times that really tastes delicious. Enjoy!

Serves 2

250g linguine
2 tbsps light olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed into a paste
1 tin of good quality anchovy fillets – approx 8 anchovies/140g tin finely chopped
250ml chicken stock
1/2 tsp black pepper
Small bunch of curly parsley, finely chopped
Optional: 1 tbsp grated Pecorino cheese to serve

To make…

Heat the olive oil in a large pan. Sauce the onions and garlic over a medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes until they are soft and golden.
add the chopped anchovies. They should dissolve into the onion mixture but you can break them up with the back of a wooden spoon.
Add the chicken stock. Stir and reduce by two thirds.
Bring a pot of boiling salted water to boiling point and cook the linguine for 8 minutes.
Add the linguine to the sauce and loosen with a tablespoon or two of the pasta water.
Stir in the chopped parsley and season with black pepper. It shouldn’t need more salt.
Serve in warmed bowls. Add some grated Pecorino cheese if you prefer.

Share, follow, like, enjoy!

To get the latest #TheFridayRecipe from the Pigeon Cottage Kitchen blog, just add your email address to the subscribe box at the top right-hand column of the website.
Follow me on Twitter @pigeoncottage, on Instagram at Pigeon Cottage Kitchen, and the Pigeon Cottage Kitchen page on Facebook.
Click on the link to get your very own copy of my family recipe book, Whats4teaMum?

Book your one to one cookery coaching session here!