Rosemary Lamb Cutlets

Marinades are a great way to create flavour and are very simple to create.

You need a pestle and mortar and a bit of elbow grease, which is the trickiest bit!

You can use ANY herbs to flavour your lamb, rosemary is a classic, but thyme, lemon thyme, parsley or mint work just as well!

Ingredients for marinade:

Lemon

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Garlic (1-2 cloves)

Rosemary

I have not put measures next to the ingredients as it is to taste, the more you like a flavour the more you should add to your marinade.

Mix all ingredients together in the pestle and mortar, it will take a good dose of elbow grease to mince it all down, but it is worth it.

Rub dressing into lamb cutlets about an hour or two before cooking and leave in the fridge to soak up the flavour. The meat will turn slightly white from the lemon, but this is completely fine.

When you are ready to eat, grill for about 5-6 minutes on a med heat on each side.

Mmmm

Updated Brownies

I think I have found the perfect compliment to the chocolate brownies and that was avoiding the fruit altogether.

When I made the brownies last week, I substituted the fruit for an extra large portion of chopped walnuts. I used the original recipe from my blog borrowed from The Pink Whisk, but instead of covering with fruit I mixed in chopped walnuts and sprinkled some on top just before baking.

You can really add anything you like, fruit, nuts, dried fruits, it really is to taste, but there is something about chocolates and nuts that can't be beat! I suppose you could even add raisins and marshmallows and turn the brownies into rocky roads!

Whatever takes your fancy, eat and enjoy :)

Baked Rice

When I was a little girl my mum used to make a baked rice that was sooooo delicious and every time I think about it, it brings a smile to my face. I can still remember the excitement and the feelings of happiness it used to bring me when she used would cook it for Friday night dinner.

My mum can't remember her recipe, which included peas and corn, but here is my recipe for a really delicious dish.

This is best made after you have made some chicken soup, but any stock would work.

Ingredients:

Chicken soup (if using a Riceboy you will need about 4 1/2 cups of liquid)

Soup Veg, carrots, parsnip, swede and baby corn

Chicken from soup

3 cups of uncooked rice (Riceboy is an American product and works in American units, but you can use as much rice as required)

Salt/Pepper to taste

Spray oil

The recipe is to taste, so you can add as much or little as you like.

To make:

I use a Riceboy to make my rice, it goes in the microwave and comes out perfect every time.

Cook 3 portions of rice using chicken soup instead of water.

Cut up one or two portions of chicken and the veg

Mix the cooked rice with the chicken and veg and add salt and pepper if required.

Place in an oven proof dish (if possible grease the dish before adding the rice as it is less likely to stick and bake on.)

Spray the top with spray oil as this will help make the top go brown and crispy

Bake in oven until golden brown. I covered mine with foil and left it in the oven for the same amount of time as the roast veg. Just make sure there is enough liquid so it does not dry out.

Irish Soda Bread

Unfortunately there is no picture for this recipe, as we started eating it before I remembered to take a photo!

Soda Bread takes five minutes to make and is dead easy. It doesn't need resting or prooving time and is best served immediately (well cooled a little first!)

The Bicarbonate of Soda in the recipe is what helps the bread to rise, so you don't need any yeast.

Ingredients:

500g Strong Brown Bread Flour

500ml Buttermilk

1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

1/2 tsp salt

To Make:

Heat oven to 190'c

Mix all dry ingredients together.

Make a well in the centre and add the buttermilk, a little at time, a 100ml or so each go.

When all the ingredients are combined, turn out, kneed lightly and shape into a ball.

Press a cross into the top.

Bake in oven for about 45-50 minutes.

When ready tap the bottom, if the bread sounds hollow it is ready, if not continue baking for a few minutes longer.

Tips:

If you cannot get buttermilk, squeeze half a lemon into a pint of milk and leave to separate for a few minutes.

If your dough is a little dry after adding the buttermilk add a tablespoon of mayonnaise.

My Very Own Sweetcorn Soup Recipe

A while ago Rudi bought some dairy free Alpro single cream and has been asking me have a go at using it. My gorgeous hubby also loves soup, so after a little contemplation last night I decided to have a go at sweetcorn soup.

I cannot believe a recipe so easy, that I made up could be so delicious!

So after having a look online at about 5 different recipes, with little more than sweetcorn in common I decided to throw some flavours and inspiration together and this is what I came up with.

Ingredients:

1 x large onion sliced

2 x large cloves garlic

1kg bag of frozen sweetcorn

2 tbsp chicken stock powder

2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp chilli powder

150 - 200 ml Alpro single cream (this is optional and you can also use regular single cream.)

Salt to taste if necessary

To Make:

Fry over onion and crushed garlic until softened.

Add the whole bag of sweetcorn.

Fry over until defosted and glossy (keep stiring, this will take less than a minute)

Add just enough water to cover corn, add stock, chilli and turmeric. Stir

Cook on a medium light until corn is tender.

Blitz with the hand processor.

Stir in cream.

Eat and enjoy.... mmmmm

This can easily be made in advance and reheated, just do not heat it on too high a light, otherwise it will burn.

You can also add smoked haddock or smoked cod to make it into a thicker, richer chowder soup. Its delicious and a meal all by itself.

A Few More Ways With Salmon

Before I write today's recipes I have to thank all of you who read my blog. It seems to be I have quite a following out there and I didn't even realise. Please keep reading I am really loving all the feedback.



I cannot believe how easy salmon is to cook, it seems to get easier and tastier every time!



I didn't really fancy our usual Chinese slant on salmon, so I 'invented' a few more recipes. It is a far cry to think I actually invented something this simple, but I threw the following flavours together.



Option 1:

Good squeeze of Lemon (about half a lemon per fillet, we like our flavours strong)

Small knob of butter on top of each salmon (prob about a tsp), if using salted butter you will not need to add salt

Chilli flakes to cover

Cracked Black Pepper

*Onion (spring if using fresh) and garlic

*We have a grinder with chilli, pepper, salt, garlic and onion, which makes life REALLY simple!



Option 2:

Grain mustard to cover fish

Honey to cover

Small knob of butter



Preheat oven to 180'c

Place salmon fillets in ovenproof dish

Cover with option 1 or 2

Cover dish with foil and bake for about 15 min.

If the salmon fillet is very small you might only need 12 minutes and if very large you might need 18 minutes. Also a metal baking dish will get hotter quicker, so you might need more/less time depending on your utensils. I use Le Crueset Stoneware.

To Die For Pavlova (Dedicated to Stuart and Bradley)

Its been a long time since I have blogged about cooking, but the new year has brought new excitement and inspiration and I am eager to share this recipe with you all. This really is a delicious dessert and even though would serve 6, we were 4 at dinner, scoffed the lot and relished every bite!

I made this up all by myself through a culmination of different recipes. You can use any fruit topping, but I was in the mood for raseberries and bluberries (plus the blueberries were on offer - bonus!)

Tips for making meringue:

1. Any vinegar, or lemon juice will do, its the acid that makes the mallowy centre.

2. Add the sugar AFTER you have whisked the egg whites into soft peaks.

3. DO NOT get any grease or egg yolk in the egg white otherwise you will never form any peak and it will be a disappointing goo!

Ingredients:

For the meringue

4 egg whites

250g caster sugar

2 tsp corn flour

2 tsp vinegar

1/4 tsp vanilla essence

For the topping;

300ml whipping cream (or double cream, but it is ever so slightly heavier)

1 punnet of bluberries

1 can on rasberries (you can use fresh or frozen, but I was being extremely lazy!)

icing sugar

1 or 2 tbsp caster sugar (depending on how sweet you like the cream)

To make the meringue:

Preheat oven to 180'c

Draw around a 8inch tin on greaseproof paper.

In a bowl whisk the egg whites into soft peaks, then whisk in the sugar until firm peaks are formed when the whisk is removed. The mixture will look shiney at this point. You should be able to turn the bowl upside down without the contents moving.

Sprinkle in the vinegar, corn flour and vanilla and gently fold in using a metal spoon. Do not over do it at this point, otherwise the mixture will go flat.

Spread mixture onto the greaseproof, inside the circle, smoothing the top and sides.

Place the meringue into the oven and immediately turn the heat to 120'c, cook for 1h. Turn off the heat and leave in the oven to cool.

When completely cool, remove from oven and build up the pavlova (you can make the meringue a few days in advance and keep in an airtight container).

Remove the meringue from the greaseproof paper and place on a serving dish

For the topping:

Whip the cream and sugar (depending on how sweet you want the cream, I chose 1)

Spread over the meringue

Sprinkle over the blueberries

For the rasberries:

Drain syrup

Place in a bowl

Add a sprinkle of icing sugar to sweeten to taste

Blend into a pulp, this can be done with a folk.

Spoon over the blueberries and meringue.

Eat and Enjoy. We certainly did!!!

Delicious Meat Balls

This is a really hearty dinner, the type that makes you feel full up and warm and cuddly inside and I love it.

We have this as a real treat as there are quite a few steps involved and lamb mince is not great on a diet as lamb is high in calories and fat (even the lean bits!)

For the meat balls:
1 pkt mince lamb (about 1lb or 1/2kg)
1 onion diced
Fresh parsley if poss
oregano
paprika
1 egg
fine matzo meal (breadcrumbs)

Shove everything in the food processor and blitz together until the correct consistency for rolling into balls.
Heat a pan with a little oil. 
Brown over the meat balls.
Remove from pan and leave to rest on side.

For the sauce:
1onion diced
1-2 cloves of garlic crushed
1 can chopped toms
tom puree
1 glass red wine if poss
200ml stock, add a little extra stock if you don't have wine
parsley or herbs of choice
black pepper

To make;Preheat oven to 180'c
I use my Le Creuset to make the whole dish as it goes on the hob and then in the oven, so it is a one pot dinner.
After removing the browned meatballs
re-oil dish if necessary and fry over onion and garlic until soft. 
Add toms, tom puree, stock and wine and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly.  Add black pepper and herbs to taste.
Add meatballs to the sauce and increase the heat. 
Just before the sauce boils remove from hob and place in oven.
Cook for about 40-45 min and serve with rice.

This dish is so delicious I can taste and smell it as I'm writing.  YUM YUM YUM

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 :)

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.

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.

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.

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.

Brown off meat in the same pot.

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.

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

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 :)

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.

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

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!

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.

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. :)

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!

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

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.

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.