Gizzi’s plaice with a butter sauce of prawn, lemon and chilli

What a great reactions I’ve had on the #missgingerishchallenge! Nice to realize I’m not the only one that could dust off her cookbooks 😉

In April I started the challenge with Leon’s superfoods salad; a delicious recipe but whether you can call a real challenge…. So this week I picked a new cookbook and cooked a recipe that’s a little more challenging (for me at least).

The cookbook that I choose is “Gizzi’s Kitchen Magic” by Gizzi Erskine. This handsome British appearance seems to come straight out of the sixties, but she’s a chef and TV personality. The passion for cooking she got from her mother, but it still took a while for her to say goodbye to her rock ‘n’ roll life as a piercer and start an education in catering. “Gizzi’s Kitchen Magic” is born from the need to master the basics of cooking. Although the book is indeed filled with techniques, tips and basic recipes, I think it’s not a cookbook for beginners; there are many wonderful, inspiring recipes!

The book has a clear layout: it starts with basics such as kitchen utensils, cutting techniques and the perfect pantry. Then there are sections for soups and salads; vegetables; pasta and risotto; meat etc. Each chapter begins with tips and tricks and then a lot of delicious recipes. They may not be very difficult, but no less tasty or original.

In addition to for example the perfectly cooked potatoes and a basic recipe for bread you’ll find a colourful collection of Gizzi’s favourites; there is not one cuisine or style. Think of Afghan chicken with yogurt, but also guinea fowl salad with green apples and seafood with saffron risotto. There are also plenty of sweet recipes, from tips for the perfect meringue dessert to a dessert with pain au chocolat and Baileys (yummy!). Add the beautiful pictures on to the many and varied recipes and clear tips and you have a very nice cookbook!

As mentioned, a challenge is really only a challenge if you have pick a recipe you wouldn’t make that easy, so that’s what I did this time! At home I don’t eat a lot of fish; although I like it I never know what fish to choose and how to prepare it in the best way… Nevertheless by now I know where to find the fishmonger and this time I have chosen something other than salmon or mackerel.

Plaice has a very subtle texture, is actually very easy to prepare and tastes great. Gizzi used fresh pepper and cilantro in her recipe; because I did not have this I replaced the pepper for chilli flakes and cilantro for parsley (fresh!). Anyway, I am a fan of chilli flakes; I prefer the more subtle spiciness and think it’s tastier than fresh pepper.

Plaice and butter sauce with shrimp, lemon and chilli

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 plaice fillets with skin
• 25 gr flour, seasoned with salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 40gr unsalted butter, plus ½ tbsp.
• 1/2 tbsp. chilli flakes (or half chopped fresh pepper)
• 1 large garlic clove, peeled and chopped
• 100 gr small, cooked and peeled prawns
• half bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped (or cilantro)
• juice of ½ lemon
• salt and freshly ground pepper

instructions

1. Cover the plaice fillets with a thin layer of flour
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan with ½ tablespoon butter
3. If the butter begins to foam: lay the fillets skin side down in the pan
4. Bake the fillets for 2-3 minutes on each side; they should be golden on the outside but beautiful white on the inside
5. Remove the fish from the pan, drain on kitchen paper and keep warm under foil
6. Drain the oil from the pan, wipe clean with a paper towel and melt 40g butter in same pan
7. When the butter starts to foam, add the garlic and chilli flakes, fry gently until the garlic is tender
8. Add the prawns and cook for a minute
9. Add the lemon juice and chopped fresh herbs, season to taste with salt and pepper
10. Put the hot plaice fillets on a plate and cover with a couple of spoonfuls of the prawn and butter sauce

Serve with rice or fresh bread. This recipe was quick, very tasty and I’m definitely going to make it again!

Want to join?

Do you recognize that pile of cookbooks you hardly ever use? Then join me in this challenge, let’s put our cookbooks to use!

How does it work? It’s really simple: pick a cookbook from your shelf and cook a recipe from it. Share a picture of the dish you’ve created on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter with the hash tag #missgingerishchallenge and tag @missgingerish.

Of course don’t forget to mention the cookbook and name of the recipe: let’s spread the word and inspire others!

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