Savour the wonderful flavours of Spain with these healthy recipes provided by highly respected chef, author and television presenter Rick Stein.
Recipes taken from Rick Stein's Spain published by BBC Books price £25
Moules marinière with cream, garlic and parsley
© James Murphy
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 ¾ kg (4lb) live mussels, cleaned
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 15g (½oz) butter
- A bouquet garni of parsley, thyme and bay leaves
- 100ml (3½fl oz) dry white wine or cider
- 120ml (4fl oz) double cream
- A handful of parsley leaves, coarsley chopped
Soften the garlic and shallots in the butter with the bouquet garni, in a large pan big enough to take all the mussels – it should only be half full.
Add the mussels and wine, turn up the heat, then cover and steam them open in their own juices for 3-4 minutes, giving the pan a good shake every now and then.
Remove the bouquet garni, add the cream and parsley and remove from the heat. Spoon into 4 large warmed bowls and serve with lots of crusty bread.
Recipe taken from Rick Stein’s Coast to Coast cookbook. Pictures were done by James Murphy.
Note: Buy certified produce like MSC (for fish)
Remember when you’re preparing your candlelit meal this Earth Hour there are several certification schemes out there that help the consumer to know the food they buy is making a positive difference. For fish such as the mussels in Rick’s recipe, make sure you look for the MSC label.
Grilled Fillet of Bass with Beurre Blanc and Spinach – MSC
Serves 4
- 750 g (1 ½ lb) sea bass fillet, skin on, divided into 4 equal portions – MSC Certified
- A little melted butter, for brushing
- 225 g (8 oz) fresh spinach
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 oz unsalted butter
For the Beurre Blanc:
- 50 g (2oz) shallots (or onions), finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 4 tablespoons dry white wine
- 6 tablespoons fish stock
- 2 tablespoons double cream
- 175 g (6 oz) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
First make the beurre blanc. Put the shallots, vinegar, wine and fish stock in a small pan, bring to the boil and simmer until nearly all the liquid has evaporated.
Add the cream and reduce a little more, then remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter a little at a time until it has all amalgamated. Keep warm.
Wash the spinach thoroughly. Melt the butter in a pan gently. Sauté spinach for 2 minutes until wilted and season with salt and pepper. Drain on dry cloth. Set aside and keep warm.
Pre-heat the grill to high. Brush the fish with some melted butter and season inside and out with salt and black pepper. Grill the bass for about 2 minutes, skin side up only.
Serve the fish on four warmed plates with the spinach and beurre blanc.
Orange Caramel Creams
© James Murphy
Flan de naranja
Serves 8
‘Flan’, or crème caramel as we know it, is Spain’s national pudding. This one, however, from the Valencia region, is made with orange juice instead of milk, and is yet still deliciously creamy with an intense flavour of orange.
- 4 large oranges
- 300g caster sugar
- 14 free range egg yolks
- 2 large free range eggs
For the caramel:
- 100g caster sugar
- 45ml water
Preheat the oven to 160°C/gas 3. Put six 175ml pudding basins or eight dariole moulds into a small roasting tin and bring a kettle full of water to the boil.
For the caramel, put the sugar and water into a small, heavy-based pan and leave over a very low heat until the sugar has completely dissolved. Then increase the heat to high and leave to boil rapidly, without stirring, until the syrup has turned into a brick-red caramel.
Remove from the heat and quickly pour a little into the base of each dish, twisting to coat the bottom and slightly up the sides. Be careful because the dishes might be hot.
Finely grate the zest from 2 of the oranges, then squeeze the juice from them all and measure 400ml into a pan. Add the orange zest and caster sugar and bring to the boil over a low heat, stirring now and then to dissolve the sugar.
Meanwhile, put the egg yolks and whole eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk together. When the orange juice comes to the boil, turn down the heat slightly and simmer rapidly for 2 minutes. Pour the mixture onto the eggs, stirring, then strain through a fine sieve into a large jug.
Pour the mixture equally into each dish and pour boiling water around them to come two-thirds of the way up the sides of the dishes. Bake for 20 minutes for the pudding basins, 15 minutes for the dariole moulds, then remove from the oven and lift out of the water.
Cover and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight. To serve, carefully invert each dish onto a small serving plate and pour some of the caramel syrup around each one. If too much caramel has stuck to the base of the pots, put them back into a small roasting tin, pour boiling water into the tin and leave until it has melted.
Note: Buy certified produce
In line with our Livewell principles, remember when you’re preparing your candlelit meal this Earth Hour there are several certification schemes out there that help the consumer to know the food they buy is making a positive difference. For example try and buy meat and eggs that meet a minimum of the RSPCA freedom foods standard.
Taken from Rick Stein’s Spain published by BBC Books price £25
