Thai-style snapper, pilaf and another pavlova

It was fishy affair last Sunday with oysters and prawns followed by Thai-style whole snapper, which Bruce cooked in foil on the barbeque.

I made a pilaf with currants and cashews - another Bill Granger recipe - to go with the whole fish and Bruce cooked up some bok choy.

For sweets I made another pavlova, this time topped with banana and passionfruit. It was a bit of a feast shared with Bruce's family.

Here are the recipes:

Bill Granger's pilaf with currants and cashews (Feed Me Now!)

Ingredients: 1 tablespoon mild-flavoured oil, such as sunflower, 1 teaspoon butter, 1 onion, finely sliced, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 500g basmati rice, 2 pinches of saffron threads, 30 g currants (I added a few more), 2 tablespoons chopped toasted cashew nuts.

Method: Place a large pan (with a tight-fitting lid) over a medium-high heat. Add the oil and butter, then the onion and salt, and cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the onion is light coloured. Add the rice and stir for 1 minute. Pour in 1 liters boiling water, add the saffron and currants, and bring to boil, stirring. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the pilaf to stand, covered, for 10 minutes; do not lift the lid. Serve scattered with chopped cashew nuts.

Hot and sour fish steamed in banana leaves (adapted from Women's Weekly beginner Thai cookbook 2003)

You can cook this in banana leaves or as Bruce did on Sunday in a large foil dish covered with foil.

Ingredients: 4 medium whole bream or snapper, 1 large banana leaf, 4 fresh small Thai chilli leaves,seeded, sliced thinly, 2 fresh kaffir lime leaves, shredded finely, 2 green onions, sliced thinly, 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh coriander leaves, 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh Thai basil leaves, 2 sticks of fresh lemon grass, cotton string.

Lime and sweet chilli dressing: 1/4 cup sweet chilli sauce, 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 2 tablespoons peanut oil, 1 clove garlic, crushed, 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

Method: Make lime and sweet chilli dressing. Score fish, both sides through thickest part of flesh; place on large tray, drizzle with half of the lime and sweet chilli dressing. Cover, refrigerate 1 hour. Combine chilli, lime leaves, onion, coriander and basil in a medium bowl. Halve lemon grass sticks lengthways, then halve crossways. Top fish with equal amounts of the herb mixture and place two sticks of lemon grass on top of each fish.  Cook on barbeque with closed lid on low to medium heat for 20 minutes.

Delicious and all gluten-free!

The Booker Prize, Bill Granger and Book Club

Bill Granger made an appearance at our book club on Sunday night. Well, not really, but one of his recipes did - baked chicken with lemon, potato and green olives.

It's on page 94 of his Feed Me Now cookbook. As Bill says: "I adore this kind of all-in-one meal that is baked and served in the same dish." And it's full of mouth-watering flavours.

It was a good accompaniment for our discussion on Sonya Hartnet's Butterfly and Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall. Everyone had something positive to say about the young adult story Butterfly but not all in the group reached the end of Hilary Mantel's 600 and something page book. Wolf Hall is the retelling of Thomas Cromwell's life - the blacksmith boy who became Henry VIII's right-hand man

Most found the novel quite a hard read with Belinda the only book club member to reach the end. At least everyone attempted to read the 2009 Man Booker-prize winning novel - except me. I got my wires crossed and read or rather half-read the 2010 winner, The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson. 

With two Booker prize winners on the table we had an interesting discussion on the types of novels that win this annual fiction award. We now move on to Sydney author Margo Lanagan's award-winning novel, Tender Morsels.  Described by publishers' Allen and Unwin as fiercely poetic, exquisite and unforgettable; fantasy at its heart-wrenching best. I wonder what food will go with this vivid fairytale?

Hope you enjoy making and tasting Bill's great dish which of course is gluten-free.

Bill Granger's baked chicken with lemon, potato and green olives

Ingredients: 1kg roasting potatoes, such as Desiree, 1 red onion, peeled and cut into wedges, 75g green olives, 1 lemon, sliced, 50g pancetta, cut into strips, 2 bay leaves, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 120ml chicken stock, 1 x 1.7g chicken, jointed, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional).

Method: Preheat the oven to 180 C. Cut the potatoes into chunks and place in a roasting tin or ovenproof dish. Scatter over the onion, olives, lemon, pancetta and bay leaves. Stir the tomato paste and balsamic vinegar into the chicken stock, then pour over potatoes. Lay the chicken pieces on top, drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 50 minutes or until the chicken is golden.

Transfer the chicken pieces to a warm plate, cover with foil and set aside to rest in a warm place. Increase the oven setting to 220 C and return the roasting tin or dish to the oven for 10 minutes or until the potatoes, onion and lemon slices are well coloured.

Place the chicken back on top of the potatoes, scatter over some chopped parsley, if you like, and serve.