Seasons to be Cheerful

Fabulous February

I get really excited in February. For one thing it's a short month, meaning March is on the horizon with Spring just around the corner. Lambs are already in the fields. And supermarkets are filling up with new season 'freshness'.

Chicken Milanese

Well almost - just add garlic wilted spinach for the real deal.

Butterfly a chicken breast each, sit it between two sheets of greaseproof paper and beat them out into 'chicken thins'. Dust each with flour before dunking them in a couple of beaten eggs then coat well with breadcrumbs. Fry the coated chicken in garlic infused oil for just 2 or 3 minutes each side and set them aside to rest and keep warm.

Garnish with pitted olives, sliced tomatoes, finely sliced red onion and a scattering of thyme leaves. Now dress the dish with equal amounts of Stokes Olive & Balsamic Dressing and orange juice, together with 1 tsp of our Classic English or Dijon Mustard, whisked together with a pinch of salt and twist of pepper.

Roast Cauliflower

If you haven't tried this yet - you must. Cooked long and low, it truly is a joy for the taste buds.

Trim a whole cauliflower of its green outer leaves and cut a cross into the thick end of its base stem. Now, you can season it in so many ways before roasting. Try this as a tasty option.

Make a rub by combining Stokes Tomato Ketchup and our Wholegrain Cider & Horseradish Mustard, with Harissa spices, lemon juice and olive oil. Play with the combination until you get the spicy tomato coating you enjoy and spread it all over the cauli'.

Place it in a well fitting pan with a good glass of white wine, lid on and into the oven, pre-heated to 180°C/gas mark 4 for 1.5 hours. Take it out at this stage, remove the lid and pour a glass of water into the pan to keep the cauliflower moist, then back into the oven for 20 minutes (lid off) or that point at which it is tender and still robustly intact.

You can serve it as a vegetable alongside any meat or fish dish or, try it with warm pitta bread and hummus, it really is delicious.

Salmon Sensations

This is probably one to save for the 14th. The little beetroot hearts reflect romance on a plate.

Make a sensational salad using thin slices of cooked beetroot, red onion, fennel, blood oranges, toasted pine nuts and fresh coriander, drizzled with Stokes Raspberry & Balsamic Dressing. For the salmon, mix Stokes Original BBQ Sauce with fresh blood orange juice, a splash of soy sauce and some freshly grated ginger.

Brush salmon steaks with the marinade and grill them under a medium heat or bake in the oven. The salmon takes on the smoky aromatics of its marinade, which balances so well with the sweet acidity of the dressing.

[TIP: If you like a bit of fire in your food, replace the Original with our Hot & Spicy BBQ Sauce.]

For more recipes using juicy Blood Oranges - CLICK HERE.

Cod with Chilli Tomato

This is a succulent piece of cod, grilled and served on a powerful Chinese-style chilli broth.

For the broth, roast, peel and dice a red pepper then simmer it in beef stock, tomato juice, soy sauce and a little soft brown sugar. Now blitz  it to a 'soup' with a hand blender. 

Add Stokes Chilli Ketchup and a dollop of our Brown Sauce until it delivers the heat and flavours you want. Cook red pepper slices and courgette until tender and serve them in the broth with the cod on top and a dollop or two of sour cream or crème fraîche.

Just add 'Amazing' - from Stokes

More foodie thoughts for the week:

Pamper a Tomato - 
'Pamper a Tomato' said Nigel Slater, as a tip for nurturing perfection. Read our own quest for perfection' - here.







Blood Orange Beauties - 
Blood Oranges are a thing of beauty, so we thought we'd share a few delicious sweet and savoury ideas with you - here.
 






Rick, Roo & Curries Too - 
This is a wonderful opportunity to see and hear Rick as he speaks to camera and very much from the heart  - here.

If we couldn't make it AMAZING...
we wouldn't make it at all.

FOOD MADE BETTER 
www.stokessauces.co.uk

01394 462150