I came across this at our fishmonger this morning. We live 2 hours from the Atlantic Ocean and 3 hours from the Mediterranean, so the Friday fishmonger is eagerly awaited because we don’t get really fresh fish every day.

We have often eaten swordfish in the West Indies and, in fact, you can read the chapter of my online e-book about this by clicking here.

I cook this fish in the simplest of ways, but be careful not to overcook because it can become very dry:
– season the fish with garlic, salt, pepper (or chili flakes) and a drizzle of olive oil

– heat your “plancha” (cast iron griddle) ribbed side upwards.
– grill the fish for about 4 minutes per side, rotate them halfway through if you want to make a pretty griddle pattern as indicated in the photo.
– sprinkle with chopped dill and lime juice to serve.
– Serve with chopped courgettes fried with garlic and some curry powder (freshly ground from spices, of course).

Our catering business is doing rather well. This weekend we did another curry tiffin event, this time in Paris.

The chicken curry turned out particularly well:
– make a spice mixture in a small blender. I used freshly ground cardamom, cloves and cinnamon blended together into a paste with fresh lemon grass, a hot chili pepper, a bunch of coriander, lime juice, honey, garlic and ginger.

– fry some onions until translucent, add chopped chicken breast and sliced courgette, cook for 5 minutes.
– add spice paste and continue to stir fry for 1 minute, add coconut milk and simmer on a low heat for 5 minutes or more (until the chicken and vegetables are cooked through, and this depends on how small you have chopped them).
– Serve with rice and garnish with coriander.

In the photo you can see freshly made cucumber raita (strained cucumber, yoghurt, mint and ground cumin), mango chutney, lime pickle and Indian Naan bread (supplied by my dear friend Mark ‘N’ Spencer)

Very successful crop of chard from the garden this year. This wonderful vegetable is sometimes known as “Swiss Chard” and goes under the latin name Beta Vulgaris from which its French name of “Bettes” is derived.

You can eat the leaves and the stalks. I made the following tart with just the leaves:
– fry some onions and the chopped chard leaves, lower the heat and cook for 10 minutes.
– roll out a pastry base and line the pie tin. Prick pastry with a fork and heat oven to 200°.
– whisk together two eggs, some milk, some cream and a little cornflour. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg.
– Place the cooked chard on the pastry, add some pine kernels, a pinch of cumin seeds, and pour over egg mixture. Cover with grated cheese.
– Cook in the oven for 30 minutes.

The tastiest way to prepare the white stalks is to steam them for 20 minutes and then finish them off in a hot oven covered with a cheesy bechamel sauce.

There is that scene in the movie Ratatouille where the food critic zaps back in time to remember the taste of his grandmothers ratatouille when he was a boy. I felt a bit like that when I made this Toad in the Hole – we used to eat this dish regularly when I was young and I had not made it for years and years.
– Make the batter with 285ml of milk, 115g of sieved flour, 3 eggs and a pinch of salt. Leave to stand for a while. You can also make it a few hours in advance and leave it in the fridge.
– Heat the oven until very hot (250°) and lightly brown some sausages in a deep ovenproof dish with some dripping (I use a mix of duck fat and sunflower oil).
– Make sure the fat is sizzling and pour the batter over the sausages.
– Close the oven door quickly (and keep it shut) and cook for 20-25 minutes until the batter had risen and golden.
– For the onion gravy, fry some chopped onions. Add some honey and vinegar and reduce. Add some stock and a little Madeira or Sherry.