Some of Camelia's favourite recipes (From Bournemouth Echo)

Some of Camelia's favourite recipes

11:02am Monday 21st July 2008

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Baked Bananas with Spicy Vanilla Filling

AT the end of a barbecue when the coals are nice and hot you can cook some delicious, easy, fruity desserts.This is one of my favourites - Serves 4

• 4 bananas
• 6 green cardamom pods
• 1 vanilla pod
• finely grated rind of 1 small orange
• 2 tbsp brandy or orange juice
• 4 tbsp light muscovado sugar
• 3 tbsp butter
  
  Place the bananas on a hot bbq in their skins for approx 6 to 8 mins turning until they have turned brownish black.

Meanwhile, split the cardamom and remove the seeds. Crush in a pestle and mortar. Split the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape out the seeds. Mix with the cardamom seeds, orange rind, brandy or juice, sugar and butter to make a thick paste.

Using a sharp knife slit the skin of each banana, open out the skin and spoon in a little of the paste. Serve with ice cream or crème fraiche.

Magic Strawberries with Lemon Curd infused Clotted Cream

I HAVE been making Magic Strawberries for many years and they always please. They are quick and easy - Serves 2.

• 1 large punnet strawberries
• 125g unsalted butter
• 1 small pack caster sugar
• 1 orange
• 1 large lemon
• Small bunch fresh mint
  
  Take out about three strawberries and finely chop. Place equal quantities of butter and sugar into a pan and slowly heat until the sugar has dissolved. Place the chopped strawberries into the pan and stir into the simmering sauce for about a minute. Now the magic begins Take the lemon and cut in half. Squeeze one half into the sauce, stir making sure the heat is gentle. Take the other half, stab with a fork and use this as your spoon pressing the lemon down crushing the strawberries and against the side of the the pan to release more juice.

The sauce should still be simmering and should have become slightly caramelised. Put to one side to cool but do not let it go cold.

Halve the remaining strawberries and pile high into a shallow glass or dish - I use martini glasses.Grate the orange and put to one side.

Pour the sauce over the strawberries making sure it goes down and coats the strawberries well. Just before serving chop the mint and generously sprinkle the orange and the mint over the top For the cream:

• 1 small jar lemon curd
• 1 small tub clotted cream.

Put the cream into a small bowl and take a tspn of lemon curd and simply swirl into cream with a skewer to give a marbled effect. Place into a small bowl and serve with the strawberries.

Fabulous Fish Stew

THIS is a great one pot meal for easy relaxed entertaining, bringing with it flavours of sunshine. The nice thing about this dish is once you have made the base you can add whatever fish or shellfish you fancy, but do stick to the firmer varieties of fish and keep it chunky or the fish will break down too much.

• 1 large onion finely sliced
• 3 garlic cloves peeled and chopped
• 1 green pepper deseeded and chopped
• a pinch of saffron
• 1 680g jar passata (sieved tomatoes available from all supermarkets)
• 500ml fresh fish stock (available from supermarkets)
• 250ml medium white wine
• 3 tblspns olive oil
• bay leaf
• salt pepper
• 500g cleaned fresh mussels
• 1 kg mixed white fish - I use 500g monkfish, 500g skinned cod loin cut into 4-5cm chunks
• 4 squid tubes (medium)
• 100g shelled tiger prawns raw
• 1 king prawn per person
• 6 new potatoes (Charlotte variety is good) skin on, cut in half to make approx 12-14 4cms chunks.

• 2 lemons cut into wedges to serve
• Flat leaf parsley Heat oil in a good deep casserole dish or a heavy based pan. Add onions, pepper, and garlic, cook to soften but not colour.

Add wine and fish stock bring to the boil for 1 minute then add tomato passata, saffron, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 mins then add potatoes. Simmer until potatoes are just starting to go soft, about 10-15 mins.

Add the white fish and bay leaf, bring back to simmer for 4 mins only then add the mussels and tiger prawns with lid on for about 3 minutes until mussel shells have opened and prawns are pink. Right at the end, if using, put in the king prawns with lid on for 1 minute. Check seasoning.

Let the dish stand for up to 20 mins. Just before serving scatter some flat leaf parsley. Serve with freshly cut lemon wedges and plenty of crusty bread.

This dish is happy to stand and can be gently reheated as long as you don't overcook the fish.

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