1 glass red wine if poss
Wednesday 24 November 2010
Delicious Meat Balls
1 glass red wine if poss
Soy Sauce Salmon
Apologies for not writing more recipes sooner, but our trip to South Africa has been pretty time consuming, but now we are home there will be lots more tasty ideas to follow.
This is another quick fish dinner. It takes a little longer than the 7 minute salmon, but is just as delicious.
Ingredients
Good quality soy sauce, I like Kikkomen
Honey
Spring onions
Garlic
Fresh salmon fillet
To make
Give the salmon a quick rinse.
Place in an oven proof dish
Drizzle over 2 tbsp honey and about 3 - 4 tbsp of soy.
Sprinkle over spring onions and garlic. I recommend a large clove and 2-3 spring onions.
Cover with foil and bake at 180'c for about 20-25min depending on the size of the fillet.
Serve and Enjoy.
We had it with chinese noodles and stir-fried veg! De - licious :)
This is another quick fish dinner. It takes a little longer than the 7 minute salmon, but is just as delicious.
Ingredients
Good quality soy sauce, I like Kikkomen
Honey
Spring onions
Garlic
Fresh salmon fillet
To make
Give the salmon a quick rinse.
Place in an oven proof dish
Drizzle over 2 tbsp honey and about 3 - 4 tbsp of soy.
Sprinkle over spring onions and garlic. I recommend a large clove and 2-3 spring onions.
Cover with foil and bake at 180'c for about 20-25min depending on the size of the fillet.
Serve and Enjoy.
We had it with chinese noodles and stir-fried veg! De - licious :)
Sunday 24 October 2010
A Few More Cakes
Here are a few more pics of cakes I have made this month and another reason why I have been so busy.
I am starting to sell my cakes, so please feel free to be in touch, or pass my details on to your friends and family.
Thursday 21 October 2010
Carrot and Butternut Squash Soup
This is such a simple recipe and one that every soup maker should have in their repertoire. I added a little zing to mine to enhance the flavour and it worked better than I could have ever imagined!
I have also discovered a new food toy... the Thermos food and drinks flask. I now get to have a hot lunch at work everyday and this is the perfect way to warm up on a cold day.
Ingredients:
1 x large onion
1- 2 tsp powdered ginger
Sprinkle of chili flakes
800g approx of carrots
1 x large - x large butternut squash
1.5 litre chicken stock
To Make:
Roughly slice the onions, appearance doesn't matter as you are going to blitz it at the end and fry over until translucent.
Add a the ginger and chili flakes and continue to cook on for a minute or so.
Add in the diced carrots and squash. Stir into onions until glossy and softened slightly.
Pour over stock and continue to cook until the veg is soft.
Get the jdguger (officially the hand processor!) and blend until smooth.
You can add croutons or toasted pine nuts for decoration and another layer of taste when serving.
Eat and enjoy.
You can also use sweet potato instead of butternut squash, what ever you can get your hands on, it will still be delicious.
I have also discovered a new food toy... the Thermos food and drinks flask. I now get to have a hot lunch at work everyday and this is the perfect way to warm up on a cold day.
Ingredients:
1 x large onion
1- 2 tsp powdered ginger
Sprinkle of chili flakes
800g approx of carrots
1 x large - x large butternut squash
1.5 litre chicken stock
To Make:
Roughly slice the onions, appearance doesn't matter as you are going to blitz it at the end and fry over until translucent.
Add a the ginger and chili flakes and continue to cook on for a minute or so.
Add in the diced carrots and squash. Stir into onions until glossy and softened slightly.
Pour over stock and continue to cook until the veg is soft.
Get the jdguger (officially the hand processor!) and blend until smooth.
You can add croutons or toasted pine nuts for decoration and another layer of taste when serving.
Eat and enjoy.
You can also use sweet potato instead of butternut squash, what ever you can get your hands on, it will still be delicious.
Monday 18 October 2010
Green Beans - Thank you Maytal
To all my lovely readers I have not forgotten about you or my blog despite the lack of recipes lately. As the countdown for Rudi's brothers wedding draws closer the days seem to disappear and even though I have been busy beavering away in the kitchen making all sorts of tasty delights, I haven't had the chance to write about them.
Here is a very quick and delicious recipe that was passed to me from my dear friend Maytal who has shown me how to turn plain old green beans into a heavenly treat.
Ingredients:
Onions
Almonds
Onion stock
Green Beans (fresh or frozen)
To Make:
Fry over diced onions and until soft and translucent. Add almonds and continue to fry over for a minute or so.
Make up half a cup of onion stock approx 100ml - 120ml
Pour stock over onions and almonds and heat to thicken slightly.
Pour sauce over cooked beans and mix thoroughly.
Eat and Enjoy
Yes it is as easy as that!
Almonds and beans can be swapped for any nuts or green veg, but the original recipe is my favourite. So far we have tried it with peas, cabbage, beans and spinach and all were lovely.
Here is a very quick and delicious recipe that was passed to me from my dear friend Maytal who has shown me how to turn plain old green beans into a heavenly treat.
Ingredients:
Onions
Almonds
Onion stock
Green Beans (fresh or frozen)
To Make:
Fry over diced onions and until soft and translucent. Add almonds and continue to fry over for a minute or so.
Make up half a cup of onion stock approx 100ml - 120ml
Pour stock over onions and almonds and heat to thicken slightly.
Pour sauce over cooked beans and mix thoroughly.
Eat and Enjoy
Yes it is as easy as that!
Almonds and beans can be swapped for any nuts or green veg, but the original recipe is my favourite. So far we have tried it with peas, cabbage, beans and spinach and all were lovely.
Monday 4 October 2010
Beer Stew
This delicious recipe was passed to me from one of the lovely ladies at work. After very serious work conversations, food rates extremely high on the agenda and we love sharing dinner ideas and tasty things we have made at home.
I particularly love this beer stew as it is hearty and sweet and makes the flat smell fantastic as all the meaty caramel flavours waft around. It really is a delight to come home on a drizzly day when the flat smells great and the oven has made it all warm and cosy.
The recipe below should feed 4-5 depending on portion size, but beware this is an extremely filling dinner.
Ingredients:
5 medium onions sliced
2 pkt chuck steak cubed (approx 1kg)
4 tbsp honey
1/2 pint beef stock
small bottle Leffe Brune or half big bottle (approx 1/2 pint) Must be Leffe Brune not Blonde
3-4 slices of bread
grain mustard
To make:
I like to use my le crusset cast-iron casserole so that I can make it in one pot and place straight in the oven.
Preheat oven to 160'c
Fry onions until golden brown, add 2 tbsp of honey and continue to brown until honey has dissolved.
Add stock and Leffe Brune mix and bring to the boil.
Spread a thick layer of grain mustard over the bread and cover the beer stew creating a bread lid.
Place in the oven and cook for 20min at 160'c, then turn down to 120'c and cook for a further 6hours.
It can be left over night, or done in a slow cooker.
Remove from the oven stir in the bread lid. If possible leave the meat to rest for an hour before serving if you have used a le crusset it should still be hot, otherwise it can be reheated.
Serve with green beans and roast pots or couscous.
This is a perfect winter dinner, it's easy to make and if you prepare it in the morning there will be no cooking when you get home.
I particularly love this beer stew as it is hearty and sweet and makes the flat smell fantastic as all the meaty caramel flavours waft around. It really is a delight to come home on a drizzly day when the flat smells great and the oven has made it all warm and cosy.
The recipe below should feed 4-5 depending on portion size, but beware this is an extremely filling dinner.
Ingredients:
5 medium onions sliced
2 pkt chuck steak cubed (approx 1kg)
4 tbsp honey
1/2 pint beef stock
small bottle Leffe Brune or half big bottle (approx 1/2 pint) Must be Leffe Brune not Blonde
3-4 slices of bread
grain mustard
To make:
I like to use my le crusset cast-iron casserole so that I can make it in one pot and place straight in the oven.
Preheat oven to 160'c
Fry onions until golden brown, add 2 tbsp of honey and continue to brown until honey has dissolved.
Brown off meat in the same pot.
Spread a thick layer of grain mustard over the bread and cover the beer stew creating a bread lid.
Place in the oven and cook for 20min at 160'c, then turn down to 120'c and cook for a further 6hours.
It can be left over night, or done in a slow cooker.
Remove from the oven stir in the bread lid. If possible leave the meat to rest for an hour before serving if you have used a le crusset it should still be hot, otherwise it can be reheated.
Serve with green beans and roast pots or couscous.
This is a perfect winter dinner, it's easy to make and if you prepare it in the morning there will be no cooking when you get home.
Sunday 3 October 2010
Ammended Choc Brownies
A quick note about the chocolate brownies.
After much tasting and deliberating I have decided that the fruit might not be everybodies favourite option.
I made the brownies for our guest on Friday night and this time removed the strawberries, which as suggested made the world of difference. The consistency of the brownie was perfect, but the fruit made them a little too sharp.
I think I will have to play around with which fruits suits us best, but in the meantime I am going to sprinkle coarsely chopped nuts over the top before baking. Mmmmmm
After much tasting and deliberating I have decided that the fruit might not be everybodies favourite option.
I made the brownies for our guest on Friday night and this time removed the strawberries, which as suggested made the world of difference. The consistency of the brownie was perfect, but the fruit made them a little too sharp.
I think I will have to play around with which fruits suits us best, but in the meantime I am going to sprinkle coarsely chopped nuts over the top before baking. Mmmmmm
Something from the Hubby
I have to say in our house I can't take all the credit for creating delicious treats in the kitchen. Rudi is also a very talented chef and makes delicious lazy weekend breakfasts. Today's brekkie was so tasty we ate it before we took pictures - opps!
This is what Rudi likes to call the 'Kosher Egg and Facon Croissant!'
Ingredients:
Croissant (from the kosher bakery they are pareve - dairy free, which means you can have them with meat)
Cold meat - we like the Yarden half and half turkey
Egg
Mushrooms
Spray oil
Salt/Pepper
HP or BBQ sauce
Cut your croissant in half
Fry an egg is spray oil (a healthier option to regular oil because you use a lot less)
Place it on the croissant.
Fry off the meat until it is crispy.
Load it on top of the egg.
Fry off the mushroom with a little salt and pepper, which will soak up the meaty taste from the pan.
Add them to the croissant.
Add a sauce of your choice.
Close the croissant.
Eat and enjoy.
This is a real sunday morning treat and soooo tasty, but you have to be careful as eating too many breakfasts like this will pile on the pounds.
If you feel like spoiling yourself one morning, I really recommend you try this :)
This is what Rudi likes to call the 'Kosher Egg and Facon Croissant!'
Ingredients:
Croissant (from the kosher bakery they are pareve - dairy free, which means you can have them with meat)
Cold meat - we like the Yarden half and half turkey
Egg
Mushrooms
Spray oil
Salt/Pepper
HP or BBQ sauce
Cut your croissant in half
Fry an egg is spray oil (a healthier option to regular oil because you use a lot less)
Place it on the croissant.
Fry off the meat until it is crispy.
Load it on top of the egg.
Fry off the mushroom with a little salt and pepper, which will soak up the meaty taste from the pan.
Add them to the croissant.
Add a sauce of your choice.
Close the croissant.
Eat and enjoy.
This is a real sunday morning treat and soooo tasty, but you have to be careful as eating too many breakfasts like this will pile on the pounds.
If you feel like spoiling yourself one morning, I really recommend you try this :)
Tomato Soup with a Twist
This soup is one of the first things I ever made independently when I started helping out by making dinner at home and as with most of my recipes it is so easy! I like thing to be simple and delicious.
Sprinkle over the cumin powder and fry off for another minute or so. The cumin is quite strong so don't over do it, you only want a hint to come through.
Stir in the chopped toms and tomato puree, then sprinkle over the sugar and mix in. The sugar helps bring out the intensity of the tomatoes and it really does make a difference!
I'll never forget how impressed my mum was that I pulled off a delicious dinner (this was just the starter), which really gave me the motivation to try out a whole range of recipes in the kitchen, so thanks mum, because with out your support who know what type of dinners I would be making for Rudi these days. :)
Ingredients:
Onion finely chopped
2x can chopped tom
2 tbls tomato puree
1 tsp sugar
1tsp cumin powder
2 pints chicken or vegetable stock (I like pareve chicken stock to get the meaty flavour but keep it vegetarian)
mini pasta shapes
salt/pepper
Fresh basil leaves to serve
To Make:
Fry over the onions until they are translucent
Stir in the chopped toms and tomato puree, then sprinkle over the sugar and mix in. The sugar helps bring out the intensity of the tomatoes and it really does make a difference!
Add in the stock, salt and pepper to taste and leave to simmer for about half a hour to thicken up.
About 10 minutes before serving you can add the raw pasta to the soup and cook as you would if you had added the pasta to regular boiling water. However we find that the pasta keeps swelling and drinks up any left over soup, so there is nothing for the next day, so I recommend adding cooked pasta to each bowl as you serve the soup.
Better Than Mr Kipling - Bakewell Tarts
After reading the title you are either very intrigued or thinking I'm full of it! It is in fact our friends that have told me that my Bakewells are better than Mr Kipling and some of them are real conniosseurs in the cake eating world!
The secret is the almond essence that goes into the recipe to make them extra almondy and making them as little tartlet so you don't feel too guilty for eating more than one!
This super simple and super yummy recipe is as follows.
Ingredients: Makes 12 tartlets
75g caster sugar
75g butter/margarine
1tsp almond essence
75g almond essence
25g plain flour
1 egg
raspberry jam
flakes almonds
12 mini pastry cases/ ready rolled shortcrust pastry to line 12 cupcake tin
If you are a die-hard pastry maker you could make your own to line the the tray, but I don't usually have time.
To make:
Preheat oven to 200'c
Cream marg and sugar until light and fluffy. The secret is to get lots of air into the mixture at this point to make your Bakewells light.
Add in egg and vanilla essence until the mixture is smooth.
Fold in almond essence and then flour. Make sure you lift and fold the mixture so you add lots of air.
In each pastry case add a tsp of raspberry jam (you can use any red jam or even lemon curd, what
ever suits your fancy.)
Cover the jammy cases with frangepan (almond mixture)
Sprinkle over with flaked almonds.
Bake for approximately 15min until golden brown.
Leave cool or serve at a warm temperature, either way they are irresistible (as you can see from the first picture one got nabbed before I even took the picture!)
Remember the jam will be BURNING hot straight from the oven, you have to let them cool before eating!
Sunday 26 September 2010
Fruity Chocolate Brownies
I didn't realise how simple it is to make Chocolate Brownies and I got this recipe from Ruth Clemens runner up of the Great British Bake Off. She is an inspirational baker and you can find her blog and recipes and http://www.thepinkwhisk.co.uk/
This was the first time I have ever made brownies and they were really tasty. Next time I would cook the brownies for a little longer as I was worried they would come out dry and flaky rather than soft and chewy. I would also remove the strawberries from the frozen fruit pack as it made the brownies a little slimy.
I even remembered to take some pics whilst I was cooking these.
Ingredients:
200g Dark Chocolate
140g Butter or Tomor if you want them to be non-dairy
225g Sugar
2tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs
1 Egg Yolk
85g Plain Flour
200g Frozen Black Forest Fruit Berries
Preheat oven to 200'c
Line deep baking tray 23x23 with greaseproof paper.
Melt dark chocolate and butter on a low light until glossy and smooth. I did mine directly in the pan, just make sure it doesn't burn.
Take off the heat and cool a little to the eggs don't cook when added.
Stir in the sugar, the mixture will go grainy, but that is normal.
Add in the yolk and eggs. When fully mixed add in the flour.
The mixture should be quite thick and glossy at this point.
Pour into your baking tray and top with frozen fruit. I would recommend not using strawberries as they go mushy when heated.
Bake for about 35 - 40 min until the middle has stopped wobbling. Check with a toothpick to make sure it is not too gooey.
Leave to cool. Once cool slice and enjoy. These brownies are sweet and sharp all the the same time. They are really rich so you don't need too large a portion and will satisfy the biggest of chocoholics!
Mmmmm
Thank you Ruth from the Pink Whisk
This was the first time I have ever made brownies and they were really tasty. Next time I would cook the brownies for a little longer as I was worried they would come out dry and flaky rather than soft and chewy. I would also remove the strawberries from the frozen fruit pack as it made the brownies a little slimy.
I even remembered to take some pics whilst I was cooking these.
Ingredients:
200g Dark Chocolate
140g Butter or Tomor if you want them to be non-dairy
225g Sugar
2tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs
1 Egg Yolk
85g Plain Flour
200g Frozen Black Forest Fruit Berries
Preheat oven to 200'c
Line deep baking tray 23x23 with greaseproof paper.
Melt dark chocolate and butter on a low light until glossy and smooth. I did mine directly in the pan, just make sure it doesn't burn.
Take off the heat and cool a little to the eggs don't cook when added.
Stir in the sugar, the mixture will go grainy, but that is normal.
The mixture should be quite thick and glossy at this point.
Pour into your baking tray and top with frozen fruit. I would recommend not using strawberries as they go mushy when heated.
Bake for about 35 - 40 min until the middle has stopped wobbling. Check with a toothpick to make sure it is not too gooey.
Leave to cool. Once cool slice and enjoy. These brownies are sweet and sharp all the the same time. They are really rich so you don't need too large a portion and will satisfy the biggest of chocoholics!
Mmmmm
Thank you Ruth from the Pink Whisk
Thai Fish Curry
I haven't written for a week and it feels like ages! Rudi and I have been very busy eating lots of delicious meals at friends and entertaining over the past few days, so no time for blogging.
Last Wednesday we had my mum for dinner, which was first night Succot. The Jewish festival where you sit outside under the stars and hope you don't get soaked or frostbite before the evening is up, but is lots of fun and a very cheery festival.
Thai Fish Curry is really tasty and if you make it yourself you can control the spice. If you use green beans and green chillies make sure you chop them differently so not to blow the heads of your diners off the planet - sorry mum!!
Ingredients
Cod Fillets (you can use any white fish and you can get away with a cheaper cut)
1tbls Tamarind paste
Turmeric
Cumin
Coconut milk
200ml of Stock (I think pareve chicken stock tastes the best)
2 x Onions
Mushrooms
Green Beans
New Potatoes
Green Chillies (we like it spicy)
Lemongrass, Galengal, shallots (they come in a thai veg pack in Asda)
Ginger large knob
Roll fish chunks in turmeric
Fry over the onions for about 3-5min
Then sprinkle a tsp of cumin and 1 tsp of turmeric and fry over for another min or so
Slice ginger, chillies, lemongrass, galengal and shallots and fry over
Pour over coconut milk and stock and stir in 1tbls of tamarind paste
Add, chopped veg and whole new potatoes
Cover and leave to cook until the potatoes are cooked through.
About 5 minutes before the end add the fish
Serve with Rice or Noodles and enjoy.
Last Wednesday we had my mum for dinner, which was first night Succot. The Jewish festival where you sit outside under the stars and hope you don't get soaked or frostbite before the evening is up, but is lots of fun and a very cheery festival.
Thai Fish Curry is really tasty and if you make it yourself you can control the spice. If you use green beans and green chillies make sure you chop them differently so not to blow the heads of your diners off the planet - sorry mum!!
Ingredients
Cod Fillets (you can use any white fish and you can get away with a cheaper cut)
1tbls Tamarind paste
Turmeric
Cumin
Coconut milk
200ml of Stock (I think pareve chicken stock tastes the best)
2 x Onions
Mushrooms
Green Beans
New Potatoes
Green Chillies (we like it spicy)
Lemongrass, Galengal, shallots (they come in a thai veg pack in Asda)
Ginger large knob
Roll fish chunks in turmeric
Fry over the onions for about 3-5min
Then sprinkle a tsp of cumin and 1 tsp of turmeric and fry over for another min or so
Slice ginger, chillies, lemongrass, galengal and shallots and fry over
Pour over coconut milk and stock and stir in 1tbls of tamarind paste
Add, chopped veg and whole new potatoes
Cover and leave to cook until the potatoes are cooked through.
About 5 minutes before the end add the fish
Serve with Rice or Noodles and enjoy.
Friday 17 September 2010
Day 6 - Preparing for the Fast
With Yom Kippur approaching I am very concious we should have a filling and tasty dinner. Over the years I have been given lots of different recommendations as to what you should eat to help you fast well.
I have found that chicken soup, simple roast chicken with rice or pasta and grapes is the most sushataining meal. Grape are high in energy and water content so keep you hydrated for a little longer and rice and pasta are complex carbohydrates so burn off slowly.
This year I am substituting soup for chopped liver. We buy Louis Mann chopped liver as it is the richest in flavour and has the best consistency. In fact we buy all out meat there as we think its the best quality all round.
Here is my method for simple succulent roast chicken.
Ingredients
Whole Roast Chicken
Fresh Thyme
Garlic
Black Pepper
Onion
paprika for colour
Slice up an onion and place in a roasting dish.
Check the inside of your chicken and remove any giblets, if your chicken is fresh and has not yet been frozen, bag up the giblets and freeze and keep for when you are making chicken soup.
Rince out the middle to make sure there are not reminents left.
Place the chicken on the roasting dish breast up and sprinkle over garlic, pepper and thyme. Turn over and repeat on the other side.
You want to cook the chicken breast down for the first half so all the juice drips into the breast and makes it more succulent.
Add a little water to the dish. cover with foil and roast on a medium heat. I like to cook my chicken a slightly lower light for a little longer so I use a 170'c oven for about 1h50 - 2h depending on the size of the bird.
After about an hour turn the chicken, baste and cover over. About half an hour before the end uncover and let the chicken brown off creating a crispy skin.
The juice left in the bottom of the dish will make a delicious gravy.
Whatever you decide to make for dinner, enjoy. Wishing everbody who is reading this blog (which is quite a few if the stats are accurate) an easy and meaningful fast. May you be written and sealed in the book of life for a sweet year ahead.
I have found that chicken soup, simple roast chicken with rice or pasta and grapes is the most sushataining meal. Grape are high in energy and water content so keep you hydrated for a little longer and rice and pasta are complex carbohydrates so burn off slowly.
This year I am substituting soup for chopped liver. We buy Louis Mann chopped liver as it is the richest in flavour and has the best consistency. In fact we buy all out meat there as we think its the best quality all round.
Here is my method for simple succulent roast chicken.
Ingredients
Whole Roast Chicken
Fresh Thyme
Garlic
Black Pepper
Onion
paprika for colour
Slice up an onion and place in a roasting dish.
Check the inside of your chicken and remove any giblets, if your chicken is fresh and has not yet been frozen, bag up the giblets and freeze and keep for when you are making chicken soup.
Rince out the middle to make sure there are not reminents left.
Place the chicken on the roasting dish breast up and sprinkle over garlic, pepper and thyme. Turn over and repeat on the other side.
You want to cook the chicken breast down for the first half so all the juice drips into the breast and makes it more succulent.
Add a little water to the dish. cover with foil and roast on a medium heat. I like to cook my chicken a slightly lower light for a little longer so I use a 170'c oven for about 1h50 - 2h depending on the size of the bird.
After about an hour turn the chicken, baste and cover over. About half an hour before the end uncover and let the chicken brown off creating a crispy skin.
The juice left in the bottom of the dish will make a delicious gravy.
Whatever you decide to make for dinner, enjoy. Wishing everbody who is reading this blog (which is quite a few if the stats are accurate) an easy and meaningful fast. May you be written and sealed in the book of life for a sweet year ahead.
Day 5 - Tastes better than it looks!
I intended to make lamb burgers and salad with some stir-fried veg, but after my manic and rather stressful day at work I came home and fell asleep!
I woke up half and hour later when Rudi got home and taking one look at each other realised we were both over stressed and just wanted to chill out, definately not a mood for creating anything fancy in the kitchen. Like I said your mood really is reflected in the food.
After looking in the fridge we decided we would cook together and make a chinese themed dinner, with egg fried rice, stir-fried veg and lamb balls. Quite adventerous I here you say, but it's one of those meals where everything can be thrown in the pan and cooked.
Rudi made the rice, while I took care of the lamb and veg. For the meat I mixed some Mrs Balls Chilli Chutney and 5 spice with the meat and rolled into mini meat balls, which tasted great, but ended up more mince meat that meat balls.
Between us the kitchen looked a like a disater and at one point I wasn't really sure we would be able to pull off a dinner as thing after another kept going wrong. Almost every ingredient we used ran out and we had to scrape the bottom of the jar or find a quick substitue to have enough to cook with.
In the end we threw everything in the wok together and hoped for the best.
I always feel a little disappointed with home made stir fries and as tasty as dinner was, I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for us both that it looked like a mountain of mess when we dished it up :(
I just kept telling myself , I'm sure Delia, Jamie, Nigella and the rest of the TV chefs out there must of had their share of disasters along the way!
I woke up half and hour later when Rudi got home and taking one look at each other realised we were both over stressed and just wanted to chill out, definately not a mood for creating anything fancy in the kitchen. Like I said your mood really is reflected in the food.
After looking in the fridge we decided we would cook together and make a chinese themed dinner, with egg fried rice, stir-fried veg and lamb balls. Quite adventerous I here you say, but it's one of those meals where everything can be thrown in the pan and cooked.
Rudi made the rice, while I took care of the lamb and veg. For the meat I mixed some Mrs Balls Chilli Chutney and 5 spice with the meat and rolled into mini meat balls, which tasted great, but ended up more mince meat that meat balls.
Between us the kitchen looked a like a disater and at one point I wasn't really sure we would be able to pull off a dinner as thing after another kept going wrong. Almost every ingredient we used ran out and we had to scrape the bottom of the jar or find a quick substitue to have enough to cook with.
In the end we threw everything in the wok together and hoped for the best.
I always feel a little disappointed with home made stir fries and as tasty as dinner was, I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for us both that it looked like a mountain of mess when we dished it up :(
I just kept telling myself , I'm sure Delia, Jamie, Nigella and the rest of the TV chefs out there must of had their share of disasters along the way!
Day 4 - Fish
I'm having a pretty lazy week in the kitchen and decided on doing another quick and easy dinner. Between starting the new school year and all the Yomtovim there seems to be very little time for anything else.
This fish dinner is really easy and quick. We have it with couscous and sweetcorn, which means the whole meal start to finish takes 7 mins!!! Try it if you don't believe me.
Ingredients
Lightly smoked salmon fillets (you can use regular fillets, if you prefer)
Corn on the cob
Black pepper
Lemon juice
Couscous
Stock
Butter
Rudi taught me the simplest and most effective way of making corn on the cob. Butter a piece of greaseproof paper and sprinkle with black pepper. Twist around the corn so it looks like a xmas cracker and microwave for 7 mins. You need to wrap each corn individually for the best results, if you are only doing one corn then micro for 5 mins.
For the fish heat a non stick pan with a little bit of butter
Squeeze the lemon juice over the fish and a light sprinkle of pepper
When the pan is very hot sear(fry in a very hot pan) your fish fillets, you might want to turn the pan down slightly at this point so the fish doesn't burn.
Keep and eye on the fish, it only needs a few minutes on each side.
Remember to cook with the kitchen door closed and the window open. Even though it this dinner doesn't create that stinky fried fish smell as it is so quick, you don't want to take any chances!
The fish should form a hard crust on the outside and be just cooked inside.
In the meantime boil the kettle to make up some stock, you can use any that you fancy, we like the parve chicken stock for this as it has a distinct flavour, but is not too over powering.
Place your raw couscous in a bowl or oven dish and pour over the stock. Leave to stand for about 5 min, then fluff up and serve. Couscous doubles in size so beware when you are pouring it out the pack. The water/couscous ratio is about 2:1, but the instructions are on the pack.
Hey presto a quick and easy dinner in 7 minutes.
This fish dinner is really easy and quick. We have it with couscous and sweetcorn, which means the whole meal start to finish takes 7 mins!!! Try it if you don't believe me.
Ingredients
Lightly smoked salmon fillets (you can use regular fillets, if you prefer)
Corn on the cob
Black pepper
Lemon juice
Couscous
Stock
Butter
Rudi taught me the simplest and most effective way of making corn on the cob. Butter a piece of greaseproof paper and sprinkle with black pepper. Twist around the corn so it looks like a xmas cracker and microwave for 7 mins. You need to wrap each corn individually for the best results, if you are only doing one corn then micro for 5 mins.
For the fish heat a non stick pan with a little bit of butter
Squeeze the lemon juice over the fish and a light sprinkle of pepper
When the pan is very hot sear(fry in a very hot pan) your fish fillets, you might want to turn the pan down slightly at this point so the fish doesn't burn.
Keep and eye on the fish, it only needs a few minutes on each side.
Remember to cook with the kitchen door closed and the window open. Even though it this dinner doesn't create that stinky fried fish smell as it is so quick, you don't want to take any chances!
The fish should form a hard crust on the outside and be just cooked inside.
In the meantime boil the kettle to make up some stock, you can use any that you fancy, we like the parve chicken stock for this as it has a distinct flavour, but is not too over powering.
Place your raw couscous in a bowl or oven dish and pour over the stock. Leave to stand for about 5 min, then fluff up and serve. Couscous doubles in size so beware when you are pouring it out the pack. The water/couscous ratio is about 2:1, but the instructions are on the pack.
Hey presto a quick and easy dinner in 7 minutes.
Wednesday 15 September 2010
Day 3 - Spice Night
Continuing with the spicy theme we had chilli con carne for dinner and it was delicious. No piccies I'm afraid because I had to cook, eat and run before Adrienne (Rudi's mum) came to collect me for our Scrabble evening.
I wanted the chilli to stretch a bit further than usual so I added some mushrooms, so it was almost a spag bol/chilli combo. Here is my recipe which I have taken from the best bits of everybody elses chilli con carne and made my own.
Ingredients:
1 med-large onion
1-2 cloves of garlic (depending on your taste)
green pepper (Asda had run out of green so I used yellow)
1 can of red kidney beans
red or green chilli peppers (it was raining and i didn't fancy getting wet from picking chillies from the garden so I added extra chilli powder)
chilli flakes
1-2 tbls tomato puree
1 can chopped toms in tomato juice
1 beef stock cube
A good shake of gravy powder
black pepper (the stock cube and meat are quite salty so I don't add extra, however it is what suits your taste)
The most important ingredient is lots of love.
I believe the mood you are in comes out in your cooking, so the happier you are to cook something the more delicious it will taste. Honestly!
Fry over the onions and garlic on a medium heat until soft and translucent, if you find they are sticking to the bottom of the pan, your pan is probably too hot!
Add in green pepper and fry over for a few minutes (I also added my mushrooms at this point)
Brown over the meat, use your wooden spoon to break the meat up, or for fine mince use your potato masher!
You might need to turn the heat of the hob up as the meat can cool the pan if it has come straight from the fridge, but keep an eye on it, you don't want your beef to stick.
Add in the chillies (not the flakes and powder)
Add in the kidney beans and fold them into the meat, if you stir them they can break down and become mushy - yuk.
Add tom puree (I once heard you should add the tomato puree before the chopped toms, so the puree has time to cook off some of the acid and is a little sweeter, but I really don't think it matters, I've tried both ways and never noticed a difference.)
Stir in the chopped toms
Crumble in a stock cube, if you feel your meat needs extra sauce make the cube up with some water.
Sprinkle over the gravy powder and stir in quick so it doesn't go lumpy.
Add it chilli flakes and chilli powder and stir gently, remember you don't want to split your beans.
Put the lid on the pan and leave to simmer on a low light. You can tell the meat is cooked when the sauce comes to the top with a little bit of an oily sheen.
We had our chilli with pasta shells, these hold the sauce as it gets stuck inside and was a welcome change as we had rice the night before...mmmm.
If you have any other chilli tips I would love to hear them. I'm pretty happy with this recipe, but am always looking for ways of improving what I make.
Happy eating :)
P.S Tara you brought a massive smile to my face by being the first person to follow my blog. Thank you for all your support, my lovely cousin xxx
I wanted the chilli to stretch a bit further than usual so I added some mushrooms, so it was almost a spag bol/chilli combo. Here is my recipe which I have taken from the best bits of everybody elses chilli con carne and made my own.
Ingredients:
1 med-large onion
1-2 cloves of garlic (depending on your taste)
green pepper (Asda had run out of green so I used yellow)
1 can of red kidney beans
red or green chilli peppers (it was raining and i didn't fancy getting wet from picking chillies from the garden so I added extra chilli powder)
chilli flakes
1-2 tbls tomato puree
1 can chopped toms in tomato juice
1 beef stock cube
A good shake of gravy powder
black pepper (the stock cube and meat are quite salty so I don't add extra, however it is what suits your taste)
The most important ingredient is lots of love.
I believe the mood you are in comes out in your cooking, so the happier you are to cook something the more delicious it will taste. Honestly!
Fry over the onions and garlic on a medium heat until soft and translucent, if you find they are sticking to the bottom of the pan, your pan is probably too hot!
Add in green pepper and fry over for a few minutes (I also added my mushrooms at this point)
Brown over the meat, use your wooden spoon to break the meat up, or for fine mince use your potato masher!
You might need to turn the heat of the hob up as the meat can cool the pan if it has come straight from the fridge, but keep an eye on it, you don't want your beef to stick.
Add in the chillies (not the flakes and powder)
Add in the kidney beans and fold them into the meat, if you stir them they can break down and become mushy - yuk.
Add tom puree (I once heard you should add the tomato puree before the chopped toms, so the puree has time to cook off some of the acid and is a little sweeter, but I really don't think it matters, I've tried both ways and never noticed a difference.)
Stir in the chopped toms
Crumble in a stock cube, if you feel your meat needs extra sauce make the cube up with some water.
Sprinkle over the gravy powder and stir in quick so it doesn't go lumpy.
Add it chilli flakes and chilli powder and stir gently, remember you don't want to split your beans.
Put the lid on the pan and leave to simmer on a low light. You can tell the meat is cooked when the sauce comes to the top with a little bit of an oily sheen.
We had our chilli with pasta shells, these hold the sauce as it gets stuck inside and was a welcome change as we had rice the night before...mmmm.
If you have any other chilli tips I would love to hear them. I'm pretty happy with this recipe, but am always looking for ways of improving what I make.
Happy eating :)
P.S Tara you brought a massive smile to my face by being the first person to follow my blog. Thank you for all your support, my lovely cousin xxx
Tuesday 14 September 2010
Day 2 - The Cheat's Eat
Last night was one of those days where you come home shattered and don't stop. At times like these I like to treat myself to my cheaters dinner, which is delicious and packed with vegetables so I don't feel too guilty.
Its dead easy....
Heat your oven to 180'c
Cube up chicken breast one per person and place in a casserole dish. If your chicken breasts are small just add more veg.
Add in any chunky veg you fancy, we like broccoli and green beans.
Pour over Nandos Marinade, they are quite spicy so beware! I use the sundried tomatoes and basil sauce because it has a good kick and is very tasty.
Put the lid on the casserole and cook for 45min.
Serve with rice. Eat and enjoy.
A double cheat is using a riceboy, which makes perfect rice everytime. We use the Riceboy Combo and find it makes slightly better rice than the smaller version. Click on the link below to check out what I am talking about. I know the smaller ones can be bought through Amazon.
Riceboy
Simple and tasty, easy peasy dinner and you don't have to spend a fortune on take out.
Its dead easy....
Heat your oven to 180'c
Cube up chicken breast one per person and place in a casserole dish. If your chicken breasts are small just add more veg.
Add in any chunky veg you fancy, we like broccoli and green beans.
Pour over Nandos Marinade, they are quite spicy so beware! I use the sundried tomatoes and basil sauce because it has a good kick and is very tasty.
Put the lid on the casserole and cook for 45min.
Serve with rice. Eat and enjoy.
A double cheat is using a riceboy, which makes perfect rice everytime. We use the Riceboy Combo and find it makes slightly better rice than the smaller version. Click on the link below to check out what I am talking about. I know the smaller ones can be bought through Amazon.
Riceboy
Simple and tasty, easy peasy dinner and you don't have to spend a fortune on take out.
Sunday 12 September 2010
Day 1 - First Ever Blog!!
So I just start typing...!
For those of you who are well versed in the world of Blogging you will have to bare with me, for everybody else you will just have to sit back and enjoy me stumbling through this very new and pretty scary world of blogging.
Hurray!!!!
Here is some background about me....
I am 28 years old and have been married for 2 years. Rudi and I just celebrated our second wedding anniversary and in our world we live to eat. I absolutely adore pottering around the kitchen inventing new recipes as well as sticking with the old faithfuls that carry you through those weeks where there seems to be no time for breathing let alone eating. I love to bake and am willing to give anything a try, but my real passion is mains.
I'm definitely a starter and main course type of lady....what are you?
I have never had a cookery lesson and have picked up all my tips from those around me. My greatest teacher is my mum, but like all good students I have taken on board all her skills and made them my own. I am also lucky to have an extremely talented mum-in-law who is able to guide me and advise me with her own wealth of knowledge as a caterer and trained chef.
And of course my inspiration and dedicated fan Rudi, who without his love and role as chief taster I wouldn't be half the cook I am today.
Good evening and happy reading, love Marsha-Rose
For those of you who are well versed in the world of Blogging you will have to bare with me, for everybody else you will just have to sit back and enjoy me stumbling through this very new and pretty scary world of blogging.
My friends have told me I need to make it personal "it's easy, you'll be fine" they say, my hubby says "just do it, it's easy" so taking on board all their support and pearls of wisdom...here goes.
Why am I here you might wonder and how on earth did I manage to join the millions of other bloggers out there. Well I dream of becoming a cookery writer and being famous for the culinary wisdom I am able to pass onto others, so what better way to start and with the support and love of my wonderful husband Rudi and cherished friends and family I thought I would jump in feet first and go for it!!!
Hurray!!!!
Here is some background about me....
I am 28 years old and have been married for 2 years. Rudi and I just celebrated our second wedding anniversary and in our world we live to eat. I absolutely adore pottering around the kitchen inventing new recipes as well as sticking with the old faithfuls that carry you through those weeks where there seems to be no time for breathing let alone eating. I love to bake and am willing to give anything a try, but my real passion is mains.
I'm definitely a starter and main course type of lady....what are you?
I have never had a cookery lesson and have picked up all my tips from those around me. My greatest teacher is my mum, but like all good students I have taken on board all her skills and made them my own. I am also lucky to have an extremely talented mum-in-law who is able to guide me and advise me with her own wealth of knowledge as a caterer and trained chef.
And of course my inspiration and dedicated fan Rudi, who without his love and role as chief taster I wouldn't be half the cook I am today.
I could continue writing all evening, but it is time to draw my first entry to a close and leave you with a few piccies of some of the cakes I have made to wet your appetites.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)