Here it is, the all time family favourite for a Saturday Night. I will serve it with garlic bread and salad. There might also be some sweetcorn if I remember to take it out of the microwave this time! Here's a pic of the ragu sauce ready to simmer for at least 40 minutes, but ideally an hour. As an aside I have seen pre made béchamel sauce in a jar in the shops, I've not tried it but it might be a good cheat, you never know.
Ingredients
12 sheets of lasagne
Salt and pepper
2 tbsp oil
1 onion, finely diced
2 sticks of celery, finely sliced
1 large carrot, finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, bashed
500g minced beef
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato puree
4 tbsp red wine, save the rest for the cook and sous chef
1 teasp dried oregano, or a small handful of fresh oregano picked from the stem
1 bay leaf
Grated cheddar and parmesan cheese mixed together to sprinkle all over the lasagne before it goes in the oven.
Method
In a large pan fry the onion, carrot, celery and garlic in the oil for 5 minutes without colour. Stir in the mince and combine with the veg and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and tomato puree, wine and season to taste. Cover and simmer gently for at least 40 minutes and add more liquid if needed or cooking for longer. Once cooked, I will leave it to one side until I am ready to build the Lasagne later this afternoon. If you can make it 24 hours ahead and leave it in the fridge it just gets better and better.
Next make the béchamel sauce.
Ingredients
400 mls full fat milk or semi skimmed if you must
A few slices of raw onion
1 bay leaf
3 tbsp butter
5 tbsp plain flour.
Method
Slowly bring the milk onion and bay leaf to the boil. Turn off the heat and leave it to cool until only warm. Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and mix together to form a roux and cook gently so as to lose the raw taste of the flour. Strain the milk in to a jug and gradually add it to the roux stirring all the time to avoid lumpiness. Once all the milk is added bring to slowly to the boil and simmer for a couple of minutes whilst still stirring to stop it catching on the pan. Set aside. If it i too thick just mix in some extra milk.
Lightly grease an oven proof dish and line the base with lasagne, then add a layer of meat, then a layer of sauce, continue the pattern finishing with a layer of sauce. Sprinkle generously with the cheeses and bake in a preheated oven at 200C for 25 minutes until golden and bubbling.
Ta Dah!
Saturday, 31 May 2014
Friday, 30 May 2014
The Ultimate Family Saturday Night Supper - A preview
I've been holding back on posting this recipe as it is such a family favourite and holds so many associations with happy evenings with my parents and children all gathered around the table. It is very special to us and I hope others will enjoy it too. I've been cooking it for so long I can't remember where I found the original recipe but I know it looks very tatty in my handwritten recipe book. Anyway, I am rambling on and will post the typed up recipe tomorrow morning. It will be golden, bubbling and a family feast!
Honey, I chillied the chicken!
How wonderful, I popped out to buy some tea from Hopley's Farm Shop and the owner asked me if I had time for a quick drink. I honestly thought he meant tea! Instead I found myself tasting a generous measure of Chase Blackcurrant Liqueur mixed with a Sicilian white wine. All this at 1pm on a Friday - the woman has no shame but it was delicious and I had to buy a bottle. Good salesmanship Jeremy!
Moving on rapidly, after the resounding success of last night's post I am revisiting one of my Chinese favourite dishes from The Australian Women's Weekly, Chinese Cooking Class Cookbook, Honey Chilli Chicken. It's sweet, sticky, saucy and a lovely Friday night treat.
Flour
Salt
Oil for deep frying
1inch fresh ginger
2 tbsp honey
2 teasp cornflour
1/2 cup of water
1 tbsp Chinese chilli sauce
1 cup lemon juice
2 teasp soy sauce
6 spring onions.
Method
Coat the chicken with flour that has been seasoned with salt.
Fry the chicken in deep hot oil until golden brown. Reduce the heat and cook for about 5 minutes or until it is cooked through. Remove it from the oil and and drain on kitchen roll. Repeat until all the chicken is cooked. Pour off the excess oil leaving one tbsp of oil in the pan.
Add the peeled and grated ginger to the pan and sauté for one minute. Add the honey to the pan. Next add the combined cornflour, water, chilli sauce, lemon juice and soy sauce. Stir until the sauce boils and thickens. Return the chicken to the pan and toss in the sauce for about three minutes until the chicken is heated through. Add the sliced spring onions and cook for a further minute only.
It's lovely with plain rice or noodles.
Moving on rapidly, after the resounding success of last night's post I am revisiting one of my Chinese favourite dishes from The Australian Women's Weekly, Chinese Cooking Class Cookbook, Honey Chilli Chicken. It's sweet, sticky, saucy and a lovely Friday night treat.
Ingredients
8 large or 10 small chicken thighs. It's great finger food for a party if you use chicken wings.Flour
Salt
Oil for deep frying
1inch fresh ginger
2 tbsp honey
2 teasp cornflour
1/2 cup of water
1 tbsp Chinese chilli sauce
1 cup lemon juice
2 teasp soy sauce
6 spring onions.
Method
Coat the chicken with flour that has been seasoned with salt.
Fry the chicken in deep hot oil until golden brown. Reduce the heat and cook for about 5 minutes or until it is cooked through. Remove it from the oil and and drain on kitchen roll. Repeat until all the chicken is cooked. Pour off the excess oil leaving one tbsp of oil in the pan.
Add the peeled and grated ginger to the pan and sauté for one minute. Add the honey to the pan. Next add the combined cornflour, water, chilli sauce, lemon juice and soy sauce. Stir until the sauce boils and thickens. Return the chicken to the pan and toss in the sauce for about three minutes until the chicken is heated through. Add the sliced spring onions and cook for a further minute only.
It's lovely with plain rice or noodles.
Thursday, 29 May 2014
Posh Cheese and Ham Ciabatta Toastie
I need more sunshine in my life, the weather is letting me down so our food will have to help out. Tonight I'm going to use up the mozzarella and parma ham I bought on impulse knowing that they always sit well together. I plan to use them in a giant ciabatta sandwich with lovely tomatoes, left over olives and basil that will feed all three of us. The tomato and cheese layers will be toasted and served with coleslaw and mixed green salad on the side.
The result was so delicious, if a tad messy to eat but the flavour was really spot on. I didn't bother with the chillies and I want another one soon!
Place under the grill until lightly toasted.
Cover the surface of one half of the ciabatta with chopped tomatoes, sprinkled with salt and black pepper and grill for 2 minutes.
Add the slices of parma ham and then the mozzarella cheese and toast until melted and bubbling.
Sprinkle with the black olives and some jalapeño chilli if it takes you fancy. Cover with the other half of the loaf. Slice using a bread knife into generous servings. Serve with mixed green salad, coleslaw and corn on the cob if you have some. Oh and fresh figs would be amazing with this too. Drat, I don't have any!
The result was so delicious, if a tad messy to eat but the flavour was really spot on. I didn't bother with the chillies and I want another one soon!
Ingredients
1 ciabatta loaf sliced horizontally
2 balls of mozzarella thickly sliced
Olive oil
Tomatoes, thickly sliced
Black olives, halved
Pickled jalapeño chillies to taste and mayo, optional
Method
Slice through the ciabatta loaf horizontally and drizzle with a little olive oil.Place under the grill until lightly toasted.
Cover the surface of one half of the ciabatta with chopped tomatoes, sprinkled with salt and black pepper and grill for 2 minutes.
Add the slices of parma ham and then the mozzarella cheese and toast until melted and bubbling.
Sprinkle with the black olives and some jalapeño chilli if it takes you fancy. Cover with the other half of the loaf. Slice using a bread knife into generous servings. Serve with mixed green salad, coleslaw and corn on the cob if you have some. Oh and fresh figs would be amazing with this too. Drat, I don't have any!
Wednesday, 28 May 2014
Chicken with Chorizo, New Potatoes and Asparagus
Crikey it's raining again. I was planning to blog a lovely crisp chicken and chorizo salad but not in this chilly weather! Instead, I've opted for a one pot wonder of chicken and chorizo with lovely Cornish new potatoes and griddled asparagus. It's a bright and beautiful dish, enough to make the sun come out perhaps......
Ingredients
2 mild green chillies quartered, lengthways
Chicken stock, if more liquid is needed as it cooks
1/2 teasp sugar to cut through the acidity of the tomatoes
Pepper to taste.
Method
I'll post the end result once it's cooked. Until then, here's a pic as it is ready to go into the oven.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive or rapeseed oil
8 chicken thighs ideally but I'm using 4 breasts, diced this time as I was pushed for time
1 240g ring of chorizo, sliced
2 shallots, finely chopped
2 handfuls of pitted black olives
6-8 fresh large plum tomatoes or a 400g tin of really good tomatoes
2 roasted red peppers from a jar (left over from a previous post)
1 handful of fresh oregano picked or 1 teasp dried2 mild green chillies quartered, lengthways
Chicken stock, if more liquid is needed as it cooks
1/2 teasp sugar to cut through the acidity of the tomatoes
Pepper to taste.
Preheat oven to 150C.
Pour oil into a large casserole or slow cooker
Soften the shallots and chillies in a sauté pan. Add the diced chicken and season with pepper and fry until golden.
In a separate pan fry the sliced chorizo until it takes on a little colour and then add to the chicken making sure all the flavoured oil goes in too. Add the olives and chopped tomatoes and oregano. Add the zest of an orange if you have one to hand for extra zing but it is optional.
Place the dish in the center of the oven. Cook for at least
an hour, depending on your oven the chicken will be
cooked in about 45 minutes if you turn off the oven and leave it for another half an hour it becomes even juicier and intensifies the awesome chorizo flavour.
Serve with new potatoes and asparagus or veg of your choice.
Serve with new potatoes and asparagus or veg of your choice.
Tuesday, 27 May 2014
Smoked Mackerel Fillets with Pasta
Oh, that's funny....Hubby has just arrived home saying "What's for supper? You haven't blogged!"
Here goes, we try to eat as much fish as we can, often as a weekend breakfast using mackerel fillets or kippers, grilled and served with buttered bread and some orange juice. This time though, I'm using it in a pasta dish with roasted tomatoes, baby spinach leaves and peas. I've added a courgette too as it needed using up.
Cook the pasta as per the pack instructions and drain. Whilst the pasta is cooking place the courgette slices in a shallow pan and cook until almost golden on both sides then add the tomatoes, garlic, peas and finally the spinach leaves. Cook gently until softened and the spinach leaves are wilted.
Add the vegetables to the pasta, season to taste and dress with olive oil, finally, go all chef like and position the mackerel fillets at a jaunty angle onto the pasta.
Serve garnished with ripped basil leaves and lemon wedges.
The end result
Here goes, we try to eat as much fish as we can, often as a weekend breakfast using mackerel fillets or kippers, grilled and served with buttered bread and some orange juice. This time though, I'm using it in a pasta dish with roasted tomatoes, baby spinach leaves and peas. I've added a courgette too as it needed using up.
Ingredients
1 pack of mackerel fillets, grilled, serves 2
Pasta of your choice, I'm using linguine
Baby spinach leaves
A cup of cooked peas
Cherry tomatoes, halved
1 courgette, thickly sliced
Crushed garlic clove
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Lemon wedges and shredded basil as garnish.
Method
Grill the mackerel for 2 minutes on each side, set aside and keep warm.Cook the pasta as per the pack instructions and drain. Whilst the pasta is cooking place the courgette slices in a shallow pan and cook until almost golden on both sides then add the tomatoes, garlic, peas and finally the spinach leaves. Cook gently until softened and the spinach leaves are wilted.
Add the vegetables to the pasta, season to taste and dress with olive oil, finally, go all chef like and position the mackerel fillets at a jaunty angle onto the pasta.
Serve garnished with ripped basil leaves and lemon wedges.
The end result
Monday, 26 May 2014
Mediterranean Chicken with Herbs, Garlic and Roasted Med Veg
Rather than a one pot wonder this is a one oven platter perfect for an almost sunny Bank Holiday supper with the family. I'm going to spatcockch the chicken removing the backbone and flattening it out and smother it in rapeseed oil, oregano, marjoram, thyme and chives, and add crushed garlic for added flavour. This photo shows how it's done beautifully. It will be generously seasoned with freshly ground black pepper and a sprinkle of salt and roasted in the oven at 180C for 1 hour. In fact, if in doubt I usually cook most things at 180C unless it's a long low and slow dish and that's a 130C job.
The Med Veg will be roasted at the same time as the chicken for 45 minutes and served with either crusty bread to mop up the juices or new potatoes sprinkled with chopped parsley.
The Med Veg will be roasted at the same time as the chicken for 45 minutes and served with either crusty bread to mop up the juices or new potatoes sprinkled with chopped parsley.
The prep
And this is how it looks once cooked.....
Ingredients for the chicken
2kg chicken, ideally free range
Herbs of your choice but I am using oregano, chives, thyme and marjoram
3 crushed garlic cloves
Rapeseed or olive oil
Salt and Pepper.
Roast for 1 hour.
Med Veg Ingredients
1 red pepper cut into chunks
2 courgettes sliced into 1inch chunks
1 red onion sliced into segments
Asparagus
Cherry tomatoes, whole
Garlic
Herbs, oregano and thyme especially but a few sage leaves works well too
Rapeseed or olive oil to coat the vegetables
Salt and Pepper to taste.
Roast for 40 minutes.
Here's a lovely box of fruit and veg bought today from Hopley's Farm Shop, Bewdley. Spot the lemon drizzle cake at the back that somehow crept in there!
Sunday, 25 May 2014
Lazy Sunday Carrot and Coriander Soup
We're having a lazy Sunday afternoon watching the Grand Prix, Golf, Football and any other sport Hubby can find before having Sunday Lunch at the Pub! So, I retreated earlier to the kitchen and knocked up some Carrot and Coriander Soup in my amazing soup maker which my lovely Mum bought me a while ago from her favourite shop QVC. That's tomorrow's Lunch sorted out then.
Ingredients
1 large knob of butter
1 onion, chopped
450g carrots, peeled and sliced
1 medium sized potato, peeled and diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1teasp, ground coriander
800mls vegetable stock
3 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
A squeeze of lemon juice.
Method
Brown the onions and garlic in a frying pan
Place all the ingredients on the soup maker and select the smooth programme
Once the programme has finished taste for seasoning and pour into a bowl and style it up with a swirl of cream and some coriander leaves.
OR
If I were using a saucepan rather than a soup maker I would brown the onions and then add all the other ingredients to the pan and bring to a gentle simmer until the vegetables are soft. Then blitz with a stick blender until smooth.
Ingredients
1 large knob of butter
1 onion, chopped
450g carrots, peeled and sliced
1 medium sized potato, peeled and diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1teasp, ground coriander
800mls vegetable stock
3 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
A squeeze of lemon juice.
Method
Brown the onions and garlic in a frying pan
Place all the ingredients on the soup maker and select the smooth programme
Once the programme has finished taste for seasoning and pour into a bowl and style it up with a swirl of cream and some coriander leaves.
OR
If I were using a saucepan rather than a soup maker I would brown the onions and then add all the other ingredients to the pan and bring to a gentle simmer until the vegetables are soft. Then blitz with a stick blender until smooth.
Saturday, 24 May 2014
Teriyaki Chicken
It's tipping down, again! Hey ho, here's a versatile tray bake that's delicious, healthy and inexpensive. I would choose chicken thighs over the breast every time for both taste and value. The final product should look something like this but with roasted veg on the side too.
Ingredients
6-8 chicken thighs, skin on
Teriyaki sauce, enough to coat the chicken
Spring onions, 1 bunch, chopped, set some aside for garnish
2 good squeezes of runny honey
2cm piece of fresh ginger, grated.
The Veggies
1 red pepper, cut into generous chunks
1 large courgette, sliced
12 whole cherry tomatoes
1 red onion, thickly sliced
A good tbsp of peanut oil or sunflower oil
Garlic finely chopped
Finely chopped mint at the end of cooking - optional
Method
Place the chicken into a roasting tin and roast at 180C for 20 minutes. Drain off most of the juices.
Add the teriyaki sauce, honey, ginger and spring onions to the pan and baste over the chicken. Return the dish to the oven and roast for another 20 minutes. Serve on a bed of boiled basmati rice.
I prefer to roast and serve the veggies separately at the same temperature for 30 minutes.
Ingredients
6-8 chicken thighs, skin on
Teriyaki sauce, enough to coat the chicken
Spring onions, 1 bunch, chopped, set some aside for garnish
2 good squeezes of runny honey
2cm piece of fresh ginger, grated.
The Veggies
1 red pepper, cut into generous chunks
1 large courgette, sliced
12 whole cherry tomatoes
1 red onion, thickly sliced
A good tbsp of peanut oil or sunflower oil
Garlic finely chopped
Finely chopped mint at the end of cooking - optional
Method
Place the chicken into a roasting tin and roast at 180C for 20 minutes. Drain off most of the juices.
Add the teriyaki sauce, honey, ginger and spring onions to the pan and baste over the chicken. Return the dish to the oven and roast for another 20 minutes. Serve on a bed of boiled basmati rice.
I prefer to roast and serve the veggies separately at the same temperature for 30 minutes.
Friday, 23 May 2014
Weeping Tiger Steaks - A Saturday Night Treat
The freshness and crunch of the salad is a wonderful foil for the chilli heat and melt in the mouth steak. Definitely a Saturday night treat to be served with a very cold beer or two. The original recipe calls for the steaks to be cooked on the BBQ but looking at the forecast we will NOT be having a BBQ, we're more likely to be building an Ark! Our steaks will be cooked for 3 minutes on each side in my favourite cast iron skillet and rested for 5 minutes.
Recipe from Good Food magazine, July 2013
4 x 200g sirloin steaks
For the marinade
Juice of 2 limes
1 teasp golden caster sugar
A pinch of ground coriander
A generous splash of soy sauce.
For the dressing
Juice of 2 limes
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 teasp brown sugar
1-2 green Thai chillies, but red work too, finely sliced
A small bunch coriander stalks, very finely chopped (use the
leaves below).
For the salad
½ a cucumber, halved lengthways, deseeded and thinly sliced
2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes, quartered
A large handful of mint leaves
A large handful of basil leaves
A large handful of coriander leaves
1 shallot, sliced into thin rings
½ small white cabbage, very finely sliced
1 large bunch fine green beans, very finely sliced.
Method
To make the marinade, mix all the ingredients until the
sugar dissolves, then pour over the steaks. Leave to marinate for no longer
than 2 hrs or the meat will spoil. Meanwhile, fire up your barbecue coals
and wait for them to turn ashen.
Mix all the dressing ingredients together. Toss the salad
ingredients with half the dressing and set aside. When the coals are ashen,
sear the steak for 3-mins on each side for medium-rare, then leave to rest
for 5 mins. Carve the steaks into thin slices and fan out on the sides of the
plates. Place a pile of salad on the other side of each plate and drizzle the
remaining dressing over everything.
Slow Cooked Bolognese Ragu
We're picking up our puppy, Hugo this afternoon so I've prepared a ragu using up lots of vegetables and some mince. It will cook long, low and slow in my Netherton Foundry slow cooker and so it will be ready this evening for a no hassle supper and we can spend our time with Hugo and Pepper. We're so excited!
The Prep
Ready to bubble away for 8 hours
2 small onions, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 sticks of celery, sliced
1 red pepper, chopped into chunks, I used one from a jar
1 large courgette, cut into chunks
Half an aubergine, cut into chunks
1 kilo minced beef
2 tins of tomatoes, I like to use La Fiammante brand as they are packed with flavour
4 teasp oregano but I used fresh from the garden and added some marjoram too
100ml dry sherry
1 tbsp tomato puree
2 teasp salt
Black pepper
2 tbsp sunflower or rapeseed oil.
Method
Heat your pan on the hob on a medium heat and add the oil. Add the mince and brown. Remove it from the pan and keep to one side. Fry the onions and garlic until soft. Then add all the remaining ingredients including the mince and combine. Transfer the pan to the slow cooker or cook on a very low heat in the oven.
Mine will cook on a low heat in the slow cooker for 6-8 hours. If using the oven then try it at 130C for 3 hours and then taste.
I'll be serving it sprinkled with freshly grated parmesan cheese and spaghetti.
I will allow half the ragu to cool and freeze for another day.
Thursday, 22 May 2014
Curry Night
This is the second home made curry I have posted but it is quite different and quicker than Pete's Lamb Curry blogged a while ago. We're actually going out for a curry tonight but I thought I'd post this much loved recipe anyway. If you make the basic sauce you can decide whether you want to use chicken or a veggie version so it's really versatile and originates from Mr Jamie Oliver's Happy Days Book.
Ingredients for the Sauce
5 tbsp sunflower oil or ghee if you have some in the fridge
2 teasp mustard seeds
1 teasp fenugreek seeds
3 fresh green chillies, deseeded and thinly sliced
1 handful of curry leaves
2 thumb sized pieces of fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely grated
2-3 onions, peeled and finely chopped
1 teasp chilli powder
1 teasp turmeric
6 juicy tomatoes, chopped
400ml tin of coconut milk
Salt to taste.
Chicken version
4 chicken breasts, sliced into 1cm wide strips
1 tablespoon coriander seeds, crushed.
Vegetable version
800g mixed vegetables, chopped (potatoes, courgettes, peppers, onions, sweet potatoes, spinach, chard cauliflower, beans etc.
Method
Heat the oil in the pan and when hot add the mustard seeds. Once they have popped then add the fenugreek seeds, green chillies, curry leaves and ginger. Stir and cook for a few minutes. Add the chopped onions and continue to cook for another 5 minutes until the onion is light brown and soft, then add the chilli powder and turmeric. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes then add about 150-200 mls water and the coconut milk. Simmer for 5 minutes until it has the consistency of double cream, then taste and season carefully with the salt. This is the basic sauce.
For the chicken version, stir fry the chicken strips and coriander seeds until lightly coloured, then add to the basic sauce and simmer for 10 minutes.
For the veggie version, simply add all the vegetables to the sauce at the beginning when you add the onions. Cook as normal and simmer until tender. Garnish with a generous helping of fresh coriander leaves. I serve it with boiled basmati rice.
Wednesday, 21 May 2014
Carrot and Cumin Soup V2
Well, the feedback from my tasters was really helpful and of course they were right. The soup posted the other day tasted lovely but it was difficult to nail the core ingredient, carrot, as it was overpowered by the wild garlic. So, I have tried again this afternoon and substituted the wild garlic with a clove of conventional garlic. I think it looks more appealing and it has a stronger carrot flavour and tastes great! I hope the lovely Helen will try it tomorrow.
Warm Pigeon Breast Salad
I was thinking of doing a steak dish tonight but instead I've opted to use up a pack of pigeon breasts that I bought at Bewdley Sunday Market and have frozen. I've done something similar before but will be pretty much making it up as I go. Fingers crossed! What's exciting is I am going to pick the first salad leaves of the year from my veggie patch. I think I'll serve it with a crispy crouton, beetroot, orange segments perhaps and new potatoes.
The results were good even though I forgot the crouton but Hubby enjoyed it anyway with a glass of Enville Ale.
Salad leaves, washed
4 pigeon breasts
A sprig of fresh thyme
1 cooked beetroot, sliced, I cheated and used vacuum packed for extra speed
1 large orange, peeled and cut into segments
Cooked and warm new potatoes,
1 large crispy crouton made from sliced baguette
Olive or rapeseed oil
Butter
Salad dressing.
Method
Take a large flat serving dish and arrange the salad leaves, cooked warm potatoes, sliced beetroot and orange segments taking care to keep the potatoes away from the beetroot, unless you like purple spuds.
In a frying pan, add the oil and fry your crouton or toast it if you want to cut down the calories. I'll be using thick slices of baguette. Once crisp and golden drain them on some kitchen paper and set aside.
Place the pigeon breasts into the same pan with the thyme and add a couple of knobs of butter, season and cook on a medium heat for 3 minutes on each side which should mean they are still pink in the middle. Baste all the time with the foaming butter and this will add a lovely glaze and a tasty sauce to drizzle over the salad. Remove from the pan and leave to rest for 5 minutes, slice and serve on the salad with the juices.
We grew these!
Tuesday, 20 May 2014
Special Fried Rice with Prawns or Chicken
Just thinking about this dish makes me hungry. It is quick and easy and I add whatever is to hand that sort of fits with the Chinese vibe. I think I first cooked this type of dish using a Ken Hom recipe dating back to 1996, which gave me the confidence to experiment. All hail Ken! I'm using King Prawns as a bit of a treat but the small pre cooked frozen prawns work well too. Just watch the salt and chopsticks at the ready!
This was the end result - I was quite chuffed.
Ingredients
Cooked and cooled basmati rice for 4 people. Ideally, chilled for a couple of hours if you can but I'm usually too busy to plan this.
Frozen peas
Prawns of your choice or shredded cooked chicken
Half a tin of sweetcorn
4 spring onions, sliced thinly
Finely diced carrot, courgette, red pepper, mushrooms, broccoli or whatever takes your fancy
I teasp each of garlic and ginger, finely chopped
5 spice powder, half a teasp
Soy sauce, a generous glug or three
Ground black pepper
Optional red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced for added kick.
2 tbsp of peanut oil or sunflower oil
If you want it to become egg fried rice, then I make a thin omelette using 1 beaten egg, a tbsp of water, a teasp of sesame oil, once cooked I roll it up into a sausage and chop it into small pieces, adding it to the rice for the last minute of cooking.
Method
Heat your wok or large frying pan until it is really hot, then add the oil, garlic and ginger for a few seconds moving all the time so it doesn't burn.
Next add the drained cooled rice and keep it moving in the pan until really hot, then start to add your other chosen ingredients. Cook for another 5 minutes on a high heat. Then add the 5 spice, soy sauce and egg if used and combine it all together. Add black pepper to taste. Once the veg is cooked how you like it then add the cooked prawns or chicken and cook for another minute so they are heated through. Serve with a flourish in a bowl garnished with the spring onions and some soy sauce on the side. We use chopsticks but a spoon works just as well.
Carrot and Toasted Cumin Soup with Wild Garlic
The wild garlic is still going strong in the garden so I thought I'd try another soup and have asked my vegetarian friend Helen to be my chief taster. She doesn't mince her words so I know I will get honest feedback......let's hope it works out. Anyway, I wish I could post the smell as the kitchen is full of the aroma of the toasted cumin and is making me feel quite peckish.
Ingredients
4 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
4 -5 wild garlic leaves washed and shredded
1 large potato, peeled and cubed
Half a teasp toasted cumin seeds
1 litre of vegetable stock
Half a teasp cumin seeds, toasted and ground in a mortar and pestle
Salt and pepper to taste at the end.
Method
I added all the ingredients to my wonderful soup maker (present from Mum), pressed the start button and 20 minutes later, Bob's your Uncle.....soup's done.
If I wasn't using the soup maker I would have added all the ingredients into a large pan, brought it to the boil and then simmered gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once cooked I would then have blitzed it until smooth with my stick blender and checked the seasoning before serving with a crusty bread roll on the side.
OOPS! I've just opened the soup maker and the soup isn't carrot red because of the wild garlic. Does this matter? It tastes blooming' lovely. Since making this I've increased the amount of carrot and reduced the wild garlic. I think the balance is better now.
Ingredients
4 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
4 -5 wild garlic leaves washed and shredded
1 large potato, peeled and cubed
Half a teasp toasted cumin seeds
1 litre of vegetable stock
Half a teasp cumin seeds, toasted and ground in a mortar and pestle
Salt and pepper to taste at the end.
Method
I added all the ingredients to my wonderful soup maker (present from Mum), pressed the start button and 20 minutes later, Bob's your Uncle.....soup's done.
If I wasn't using the soup maker I would have added all the ingredients into a large pan, brought it to the boil and then simmered gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once cooked I would then have blitzed it until smooth with my stick blender and checked the seasoning before serving with a crusty bread roll on the side.
OOPS! I've just opened the soup maker and the soup isn't carrot red because of the wild garlic. Does this matter? It tastes blooming' lovely. Since making this I've increased the amount of carrot and reduced the wild garlic. I think the balance is better now.
Monday, 19 May 2014
Spanish Omelette
I was walking with friends and their dogs in the forest this
morning and suddenly came up with this far from new idea. It is a 'use it up' supper which transforms
yesterday's Jersey Royals left over from the BBQ into a tasty, easy and laid
back Monday night supper. There are so
many versions of this dish but I am opting for my own version so I can use up
potatoes, red pepper and asparagus and I might throw in a few peas for added
colour. Muy bien señora. Let's hope it looks as good as this picture. I suppose
some chorizo or cubes of bacon would work well but I'm keeping it Veggie today.
I also plan to try a new soup recipe for my friend Helen if
I have time. The idea is Carrot soup
with toasted cumin and wild garlic. I'll
be making it up as I go along and if it's tasty I will post it tomorrow.
Ingredients
500g cooked potatoes, I'm using Jersey Royals but Charlotte
potatoes are good too
1 knob butter
2 small onions
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
Half a bunch of asparagus
8 eggs
Chives
Salt and pepper - be generous as it's a big dish with loads of eggs!
Optional grated cheese.
Optional grated cheese.
Method
Finely slice the onions and chop the asparagus and red
pepper, removing the seeds.
Cut the potatoes into chunks.
Heat the butter in a median sized frying pan over a low heat
and cook the potatoes until just starting to brown, add the peppers and
asparagus and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Break the eggs into a jug and beat with a fork, season with
a generous grind of pepper and a good pinch of salt.
Snip the chives using scissors directly into the jug and
stir in.
Heat the grill to medium.
Add some more butter to the pan on a medium heat and add the peas.
Pour over the egg mixture.
Cook for 15 minutes until almost set and golden brown
underneath. Have a peek using a fish
slice to check the cooking.
Place the pan under the grill being sure to use an ovenproof
pan or that the handle is outside the grill.
Cook for a further 2-3 minutes until set and golden.
Serve in wedges with a salad and corn on the cob ,with dare I
say even more butter!
I sprinkled cheddar cheese on as it went under the grill.
I sprinkled cheddar cheese on as it went under the grill.
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