Seared Salmon with Caprese Salad

So simple, so good for you and man is it tasty! Gorgeous summer colours and flavours come together to make this one a real feast for the eyes as well as the palette. Serve with a crisp white wine for a lovely weekend treat....

You'll need....

• 2 salmon steaks
• sea salt and pepper
• a lemon
• dried herbs
• fresh mozzarella
• 2 juicy tomatoes
• lambs lettuce
• a baguette

1. So, first we need to prep the salad. Slice the mozzarella and tomatoes into 3mm slices and layer in rows, alternating the tomato with the cheese. Then toss over some lambs lettuce before drizzling some extra virgin olive oil, basil (fresh if possible), cracked black pepper and salt, before a drizzle of pesto and balsamic syrup. 

                 

2. Now for the salmon. On each steak sprinkle some dried herbs, black pepper and a good pinch of sea salt. Cook them in a griddle pan on a high/medium heat for a few minutes on each side until golden brown on the outside and pink in the middle. When you've fished out the salmon from the pan, deglaze with the juice of half a lemon and drizzle over the fish.

3. Serve with a lovely glass of crisp white wine and some griddled slices of bread. Deeeeeelish!

Spaghetti with Spicy Chorizo Meatballs

Another happy accident coming from this recipe: too many people to feed, not enough meat, some chorizo sausages chilling in the fridge......hey presto you've got some tasty chorizo meatballs! I'd also say it's quite nice to put some effort into the tomato sauce, ours is made with some wonderful winter veggies and a splash of red wine to give it that extra depth of flavour.

For the meatballs:

• 400g lean beef mince
• 2 chorizo sausages
• salt
• pepper
• dried herbs
• a red chilli, finely chopped (fresh or dried)
• 1 tsp paprika

For the tomato sauce:

• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• half a courgette, diced
• half a red pepper, diced
• 3/4 tomatoes, diced
• glug of red wine
• 200 ml stock
• dried mixed herbs

1. Mix all the meatball ingredients together in a bowl, just using the meat from the sausages so make sure you peel off the skin, add a glug of olive oil and get your hands in there to really tenderise the meat well. Roll into small balls (3cm diameter) and place on a baking tray. Put them in the oven for 15-20 mins.

2. For the sauce, first fry the onion and garlic in a little olive oil and butter until they become golden. Then add the tomato, courgette and red pepper and sprinkle over a pinch of sugar. After about 5 more minutes on a medium heat add in the wine and stock and let the sauce simmer on a low heat for 10-15 mins, adding salt, pepper and a sprinkle of dried herbs to taste.

3. While the sauce is simmering, cook up some spaghetti or whatever pasta you have decided to use until al dente. 

4. Serve a bowl of spaghetti with a few juicy meatballs on top, a generous ladle of the rich tomato sauce and a shaving of fresh parmesan with some crusty bread. Enjoy! (we sure did!)