JAPANESE PRAWN SOUP

This very pretty soup is substantial enough to serve as a light Spring meal. Provide bowls of sushi rice and pickled ginger on the side. You can buy seaweed either dried or fresh in atmospheric-controlled packs. The former simply needs to be de-hydrated and the latter needs to be washed in running water to remove all the salt.

Ingredients

• 4 small lemon sole fillets, skinned and cut into strips
• 1 fish stock cube (optional)
• 900ml boiling water
• 1 x cm slice fresh root ginger
• 4 spring onions, sliced
• 18g laitue de mer seaweed
• 12-14 mangetout
• 2 small courgettes
• 6 king prawns, peeled
• sprigs of fresh dill or coriander
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley
• freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Dissolve the stock cube in boiling water.
2. Add the root ginger, half the spring onions and the seaweed.
3. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
4. Add the mangetout and the courgettes.
5. After a couple of minutes add the slices of sole and, after another 2 minutes or so, add all the remaining ingredients.
6. Return to the boil and cook for a further minute.
7. Serve in bowls garnished with the remaining spring onions.

BACON AND EGG PILAFF

The inspiration for this recipe came from a trip to Barbados but its roots must lie in the island's British colonial past. Use small ripe bananas from the Caribbean if you can find them, but any bananas will do at a pinch. Serve with tomatoes dressed with lime and chili.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 6-8 whole pimento or allspice seeds
• 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 800g cooked long grain rice
• 8 rashers grilled back bacon
• 4 large hard boiled eggs
• 3 tablespoons toasted flaked almonds
• 4 small ripe bananas or three larger ones, peeled and sliced
• 2 tablespoons sultanas
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Heat the oil in a wok and fry the whole pimento seeds for one minute and crush with a wooden spoon.
2. Add the onions and fry until well browned.
3. Add the rice and toss well with the onions.
4. Roughly chop the bacon and eggs and stir into the rice.
5. Add all the remaining ingredients and stir-fry over a medium heat for further 2-3 minutes until thoroughly heated through.

BANANA FRITTERS

These are fritters with a difference. There is not deep-fat frying involved and the end result is rather like a scotch pancake or drop scone. Serve with honey or maple syrup. Choose really ripe bananas with lightly spotted skins.

Ingredients

• 3 large ripe bananas
• 50g plain flour
• ½ teaspoon vanilla essence
• Sprinkling of nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. Mash the bananas with a fork until soft.
2. Mix in the remaining ingredients.
3. Heat the oil in a frying pan.
4. Drop spoonfuls of the banana batter onto the fat and gently flatten with a spoon.
5. Fry on both sides until lightly brown and crisp.

If you are interested in more recipes using extra virgin olive oil see “REMARKABLE RECIPES from the people who really know about extra virgin olive oil – the producers” at Amazon for kindle and for iTunes.