Cannelloni Stuffed with Pink Hake and Cauliflower

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On these Christmas weeks, cooking, but especially eating, gets a little out of hand. That’s the main reason why we always end up with huge amounts of leftovers in the fridge. As you know, in our house nothing goes to waste so, it’s time to rack our brains and create some new recipes.

In this case, I came up with this cannelloni stuffed with pink hake and cauliflower recipe. I hope you like it!

Ingredients:

• 400 g. of cauliflower (we will also use the leaves if we have them).

• 300 g. of hake (pink, line-caught … the one you like best).

• 30 ml. of fish broth.

• 100 ml. natural tomato purée.

• 10 sheets of fresh lasagna.

• 25 g. of smoked San Simón cheese.

Steps to follow:

• Grate the cauliflower with a grater.

• Cut the cauliflower leaves into small pieces with scissors and scald in boiling water for 3 minutes.

• Crumble the hake and mix it with the cauliflower.

• Put a pan on the hob with a splash of EVO over medium heat. Add the cauliflower and hake mixture and sauté for a few minutes. Then add the fish stock and 50 ml of natural tomato purée.

• Lower the heat to medium / low. Let the mixture cook for about 8 minutes or until the liquid gets evaporated. 

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

• Take a sheet of lasagna and put two tablespoons of the mixture 2 cm from the edge of the sheet. Then roll it up until you get a cannelloni. Do this step with all the lasagna sheets.

• Put 3 tablespoons of natural tomatoes covering the bottom of the tray in which you will bake the cannelloni. Then place the cannelloni next to each other until the tray is full.

• Cover the surface of the cannelloni with tomato and the remaining cauliflower and hake mixture.

• Grate the San Simón cheese on top to give it a smoky touch.

• Bake for 15 minutes at 180 degrees.

• Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

Marmitako

Marmitako is one of the key stews in Cantabrian cuisine (especially in Cantabria and the Basque Country). This dish is named after the container in which it is prepared, a metal pot called marmite.

Ingredients

• 5 medium potatoes.

• 1 kilo of tuna belly.

• 1 onion.

• 1 clove of garlic.

• 2 teaspoons of choricero pepper paste.

• Salt

• EVO.

Steps to follow

• Chop the onion into brunoise.

• Put a pan on the hob with 30 ml of EVO. Sprinkle the onion and garlic with a pinch of salt. Sautée until the onion turns golden.

• Add the pepper to the mix.

• Snap the potatoes and add to the pan. Mix with the sauteed and cover with water.

• Cook over low heat for 20/25 minutes.

• Check the seasoned, in the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the tuna.

• Let stand before serving.

Teriyaki Salmon with Rice and Sautéed Choi

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 2 salmon fillets.

• 6 tablespoons Basmati rice.

• 50 ml. Teriyaki sauce.

• 20 ml. spicy sweet and sour sauce.

• 2 cloves garlic.

• EVO.

• 400 g. of Buk choi / Pak choi.

• 300 ml. fish broth.

Steps to follow

• Mix 30 ml. of oil with the sauces (Teriyaki and sweet and sour) and finely chopped garlic.

• Place the salmon fillets on an oven tray and paint with the sauces’ mixture.

• Bake for 8 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius.

• Scald the Pak choi or Bok choi (I use a mixture of the two) for 3 minutes and then sauté with a drizzle of oil.

• Cook the rice in 300 ml. of fish stock for 10 minutes (follow the cooking times marked on the rice package).

• Serve a salmon fillet with a help of rice and choi vegetables.

Fried Anchovies

This week I bring you a recipe that I do not cook very often but, from time to time, it jumps into our menu as a guilty whim: Fried Anchovies. I generally prepare fish in the oven or on the grill, however, sometimes you just crave for a fried version of your fish.

For this recipe, instead of using breadcrumbs, I always make a mixture of chickpea flour and polenta so that the fish looks and tastes crispier and less greasy.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg. Filleted anchovies.

• 100 g. Chickpea flour.

• 50 g. Polenta.

• Sal.

• Olive oil.

• 1 lemon.

Steps to follow:

• Clean and fillet the anchovies. If you are not able to do this job, ask at the fishmonger.

• Heat a frying pan over medium / high heat with olive oil.

• Coat the anchovies with the mixture of chickpea flour and polenta.

• When the oil gets very hot (but not to the point it starts to be smokey), add the anchovies and let them fry for 1 or 2 minutes (maximum).

• Serve with a sliced ​​lemon and squeeze on top.

Options: You can serve this dish with a salad or some Padrón peppers, for example. Most times, I also serve it with a yogurt and mustard sauce instead of lemon.

Grilled Octopus with Sautéed Turnip Greens

Let’s start this week with one of my favourite recipes: Grilled octopus with sautéed turnip greens. To me, turnip greens are the Holy Grail of cooking. They are the key ingredient I would not change for anything in the whole wide world. If I have to choose between a few turnip greens and the most succulent piece of seafood, I will always be crystal clear about my choice. On the other hand, octopus is part of my tradition, born and raised in Mugardos, this eight-legged ingredient cannot be left out of my kitchen.

Ingredients

• 1 octopus.

• 1 bay leaf

• 500 g. of turnip greens

• Salt.

• Smoked hot paprika.

• EVO.

• 1 sliced garlic.

Steps to follow

• If you are going to work with a fresh octopus you need to mash it first to break the fibres, otherwise it will be chewy. If, on the other hand, you don’t want to go through that process, I recommend freezing the octopus for a few days. This way, the fibres will break on their own in the freezer.

• Cook the octopus in salted water for about 15 minutes (per Kg.) and then let it rest for another 20 with the fire off. Tradition says that you have to “scare” the octopus by dipping it 3 times in water before cooking. I don’t know if this really helps, but I always do it (just in case!)

• Once the octopus is cooked, it is necessary to let it cool in a colander before grilling.

• Clean the turnip greens well and cut them into pieces.

• Cook them in boiling water for about 10 minutes.

• Put the turnips in a drain so they lose the excess water.

• Cut the octopus tentacles in half (if they are very thick you can make 3 slices).

• Turn on the griddle over medium / high heat. Pour a drizzle of EVO and place the octopus’ slices for 5 to 10 minutes on each side (it all depends on the power of your griddle).

• Meanwhile, put a frying pan on the cooker with two tablespoons of EVO.

• Add the sliced ​​garlic to give the EVO flavour.

• Once the garlic gets golden brown, add the turnip greens (and a pinch of salt). Sauté for a few minutes and they will be ready to serve.

• When the octopus is ready, sprinkle it lightly with paprika, a pinch of salt and a thread of EVO.

• Serve and reach Nirvana!

Turmeric Rice with Cuttlefish

Today I bring you a seafaring recipe cooked with turmeric rice and cuttlefish from my hometown estuary. This dish is one of our favorites because of the strong flavour the cuttlefish (previously macerated in oyster sauce) gives the rice.

Ingredients (serves 2 people)

• 8 tablespoons Bomba rice.

• 500 g. of cuttlefish. If you don’t know how to clean it, ask the fishmonger to clean it for you. Ask for the ink bag too! ( it’s a delicious flavour enhancer for rice dishes!).

• 20 ml. of oyster sauce.

• 20 ml. of whiskey.

• Juice of 1 orange.

• Salt.

• 1 tablespoon ginger and garlic paste.

• EVO.

• 1 teaspoon turmeric.

• 1 l. of fish broth.

Steps to follow:

• Cut the cuttlefish into small pieces and let it macerate for 15 minutes.

• To prepare the maceration it is necessary to mix the cuttlefish with the oyster sauce, the juice of 1 orange and 30 ml. of AOVE.

• Heat a frying pan over medium heat and sauté the cuttlefish along with the macerated sauce and ginger and garlic paste for 15/20 minutes or until the cuttlefish is soft.

• Halfway through cooking time, pour the 20 ml. of whiskey and let it cook until it evaporates.

• Once the cuttlefish is almost ready, add the 8 tablespoons of rice and the turmeric. Mix well and let the rice absorb the flavour of the sauces in the pan.

• Then add a litre of fish broth and turn the heat to its maximum until the broth starts to bubble. This will be the time to lower the heat to low and let the rice cook for 30 minutes.

• It is important not to touch or remove the rice while cooking.

• Once ready, it is recommended to let it rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Spiced Scallops Tempura

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Ingredients:

• 6 clean scallops (if you are not able to clean them at home, ask the fishmonger to prepare them for you).

• 20 g. of garlic powder.

• 8 g. of salt.

• 10 g. of cumin seeds (or cumin powder, if you prefer).

• 1 cup tempura flour.

• 1 glass of very cold water.

• EVO.

Steps to follow:

• Cut the scallops in half.

• Mix the garlic, the cumin, the salt and the flour in a bowl.

• Add water and whisk until you get a creamy, lump-free butter.

• Heat a saucepan with plenty of oil over medium / high heat.

• Deep the scallops in the tempura butter and fry for 1 minute on each side.

• Drain the excess of oil on paper towel before consuming.

Note: This dish can be served as a appetiser or as a main course served with a salad.

Pickled Anchovies

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Today I bring you an extraordinarily simple and delicious snack recipe: Pickled anchovies. In this case, I am sharing with you a piece of family culinary wisdom as the recipe is the one my father –the expert sailor of the family– uses whenever he prepares anchovies at home.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg. Anchovies.

• 1 glass of wine vinegar.

• 2 glasses of water.

• 1 handful of salt.

• 2 large garlic cloves.

• 1 bunch of parsley.

• AOVE

Steps to follow:

• Carefully clean the anchovies to separate the two fillets without breaking them. If you are not very handy cleaning fish, ask the fishmonger to do it for you.

• Place each fillet in line and layered in a container with a lid.

• Pour in salt, vinegar and water and let it macerate for 4 hours.

• After this time, remove the fish from the liquid and rinse it to remove the excess of vinegar and salt.

• After draining, place it back in a container with a lid along with layers of chopped parsley, sliced ​​garlic and cover with AOVE.

• Let it rest in the fridge for a minimum of 5 days so that it absorbs all the flavour.

• You can serve them in salads, toasts or as a snack with a good bread.

Notes: Note 1: You must freeze the anchovies for a minimum of 5 days (before pickling) in order to avoid anisakis poisoning. Note 2: Remember to remove them from the fridge at least an hour before consuming so that the AOVE (which will be completely solidified) becomes liquid again.

Tuna Stuffed Eggs

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Tuna stuffed eggs are a summer classic in my house. The freshness and simplicity of this recipe make it the perfect dish for hot days. Besides, these eggs make a very economical lunch by needing only 4 ingredients (all of them quite cheap).

Ingredients:

• 10 eggs.

• 500 g. of canned tuna.

• 50 ml. tomato puree or fried tomato.

• 150 g. mayonnaise.

• Optional: Tabasco to taste.

Steps to follow:

• Fill a saucepan with water and a pinch of salt. Then, introduce the eggs. Once the water starts to boil, cook for 10 minutes.

• When the eggs are cooked, pour in cold water (or ice) to cool.

• Once cold, peel and cut the eggs in half, vertically.

• Separate the egg whites from the yolks and reserve the latter for filling.

• Crumble the tuna and the yolks in a bowl (Remember reserving one of the yolks to decorate).

• Incorporate 40 ml. of the tomato puree and mix well until you obtain a homogeneous filling.

• Cover the bottom of a tray with 10 ml. of the remaining tomato puree and 50 g. of mayonnaise, then, mix well.

• Incorporate a dessert spoon of filling into each half of the egg and place (with the filling down) on the tray.

• Finally, cover each egg with a thin layer of mayonnaise and grate the remaining yolk on top.

• Put in the fridge at least 30 minutes before serving.