Sometimes, two conflicting flavours work perfectly together. Think chilli and lime, olives and anchovies or praline and chocolate. This month's recipes celebrate some well-known culinary marriages and a few more you might not have thought of.
Savoy cabbage with smoked bacon
Cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and purple sprouting all seem to enjoy the company of bacon or pork. They can meet up in a soup or a gratin, but in their simplest form they can be used in a quick stir fry.
Serves 1
garlic - 2 plump cloves
carrots - 2 medium sized
smoked bacon - 150g
savoy cabbage - 200g
Peel the garlic and chop it finely. Scrub the carrots, cut them into fine matchsticks and set aside. Cut the bacon into pieces roughly the size of a postage stamp. Shred the cabbage finely and wash thoroughly.
Cook the bacon in a large frying pan until the fat turns pale gold. Add the garlic and, when it starts to colour, add the shredded carrots and cabbage and toss in the bacon fat. Cook until the cabbage is bright and tender - just a couple of minutes. Divide between two warm plates.
Smoked haddock with cream and broccoli
Smoked fish and cream is one of the most successful marriages around. Smoked salmon and cream cheese, smoked mackerel and creamed horseradish, smoked haddock with cream in a fish soup such as Cullen Skink are all famous pairings. The idea of cooking smoked haddock in a simple gratin with cream and broccoli is more contemporary.
Serves 2
smoked haddock - 700g
milk or milk and water - 500ml
broccoli - 250g
double cream - 30ml
fresh, white breadcrumbs - 4 tbs
Set the oven at 200C/gas 6. Check the fish over carefully for any stray bones. Put the fillets into a shallow pan and cover with milk or milk and water. Season the liquid with black pepper bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and leave till the fish is tender, a matter of 5-10 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish.
Remove the fish from the milk and leave to cool a little. Cook the broccoli till just tender in boiling, lightly salted water. Drain.
Remove the fish from its skin in big, fat flakes. Place them in a shallow baking dish together with the broccoli.
Pour over the cream (it won't quite cover, but no matter), then scatter over the breadcrumbs. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, till bubbling.
Baked chicken with yoghurt and spices
Spices and yoghurt is one of those combinations that works in so many ways; in a curry sauce, as a dressing for cooked poultry or, as here, in a marinade for chicken that is to be baked. I think this dish works best when the chicken skin is allowed to blacken a little on top. Some rice would be good here.
Serves 3
garlic - 3 large cloves
ginger - a large lump about 40g
cumin seeds - 2 tsp
cardamom - ½ tsp
hot chilli powder - 1 tsp
paprika - 2 tsp
ground turmeric - ½ tsp
200ml plain yoghurt
chicken pieces on the bone - 6 coriander leaves - a small handful
Set the oven at 180C/gas 4. Peel the garlic and chop it roughly. Peel the ginger and cut into thick slices then put into the food processor with the cumin seeds, cardamom, chilli and paprika, the turmeric, yoghurt, and a half-teaspoon of salt and a few generous grinds of black pepper.
Put the chicken in a bowl then tip the marinade over and leave for half an hour, if you have time. Tip into a roasting tin or baking dish and leave to bake for about 40-45 minutes till golden and slightly singed on top.
Check the chicken for doneness by piercing the flesh at its thickest part.
Penne with anchovies and capers
The Mediterranean combination of olives, anchovies and capers is a very robust one, and turns up in salads and pasta dishes. As a quick dressing for a vibrant pasta supper they are hard to beat.
Serves 2
penne - 200g
olives - 50g
anchovy fillets - 6
capers - 1 tbs
olive oil - 3 tbs
sun-dried tomatoes - 3
parsley - a small bunch parmesan - grated
Boil the penne in deep, salted water. While the pasta is cooking, roughly chop the olives. Rinse and finely chop the anchovy fillets, put them into a small mixing bowl and stir in the capers and the olive oil. Slice the sun-dried tomatoes, and chop the parsley and stir into the olive dressing. Check the seasoning, but it is unlikely you will need either salt or pepper.
Drain the pasta as soon as it is ready (it should take about 9 minutes, but check it.) Toss immediately with the dressing, divide between two warm bowls and serve with grated parmesan.
Grapefruit and oranges with honey and mint
Sharp fruits and honey are a dazzling combination and work well with mint and lemon in Middle Eastern orange and honey cakes, and in this recipe for a refreshing grapefruit and orange salad.
Serves 3-4
pink grapefruit - 1 large
red grapefruit - 1 large
blood oranges - 2
mild honey - 2 tsp
a few sprigs of mint
Peel the fruit with a large knife, catching as many of the juices as you possibly can. Remove any stray white pith. Cut the fruit into thick slices and lay them, overlapping, on a serving plate.
Stir the honey into the reserved juices and pour over the sliced fruit. Scatter with mint and chill well before serving.
