Steak Diane - Retro Recipe Day 1

Well I promised retro food and the first one had to be the classic Steak Diane. This is originally from the USA and was very popular at English dinner parties and restaurants everywhere in the 1960's and 1970's. By 1980 it was considered to be rather dated - but I know many people who still cook it. And that is because its gorgeous.

Its simply just a steak which you pound until its thin, so it cooks fast. You then make the sauce quickly in the pan juices. Back in the day they would flambé the brandy at the table, but I just did it on the stove top.

Ingredients:

2 sirloin steaks
1/2 cup beef stock (cube is fine)
2 tsp. tomato paste
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. butter
1 shallot, chopped
4 tbsp. brandy
1/3 cup double cream

Pound the steaks until fairly thin. In a jug, whisk together the stock, tomato paste, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Fry the steaks in the butter until cooked how you like it (I went for one minute so it was rare)and remove from the pan. Cover with kitchen foil to rest while you make the sauce.

Add the shallot to the same pan and fry quickly. Add the brandy and set it alight (carefully!). When the flame subsides, let the brandy cook until mostly evaporated (it'll take just a minute or two). Add the stock mix from the jug and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring as it thickens. Add the cream and cook for 2 more minutes. The sauce is ready and the steaks will be rested.

Serve the steak with the sauce poured over the top. I also served this with hand-cut baked chips and peas. Really, really tasty!

Irish Spiced Beef

This is an Irish recipe which I believe hails from County Cork, but is a cured beef that is sliced thinly and eaten with brown bread and butter and chutney at Christmas time.

I tried this because we get through a fair bit of cooked sandwich meat which is relatively expensive and doesn't last for long once opened. This mini 500g beef joint I bought was only £5.50 and its lasting for ages. You can just cook it as it is, of course, but this way it is cured and tastes more like pastrami. After curing it lasts for about 3-4 weeks in the fridge. The only odd ingredient involved is saltpetre which is actually sodium nitrate (£3.49 Amazon for loads) and is used to cure meats.

Ingredients:

500g mini beef joint
20g soft dark brown sugar
1 tbsp. allspice berries
1 tbsp. juniper berries
1 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. saltpetre
1 tbsp. sea salt

Method:

Trim off any excess fat on the meat and rub in the sugar. Put it in a covered bowl in the fridge for 12 hours.

Grind together all the spices and salt. Rub all over the meat, cover and return to the fridge for 6-7 days, turning daily.

After 7 days, put it in a sauce pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat and summer for 1 hour. Leave to cool and then slice.

I like this in a sandwich with mayonnaise, mustard and cornichons. Delicious. Not only does it keep for 3-4 weeks but you know what's in it - unlike pre-packed meats!

Pork stuffed with Irish White Pudding & Bacon

Last weekend when I returned back from Ireland, the only food product I brought back with me was a few packs of white pudding. You can buy it in all supermarkets in England, but I like to bring it home.

Its similar to black pudding and contains pork meat and fat, suet, bread and oatmeal formed into a large sausage and is usually eaten sliced and fried with a hot breakfast. Or an 'Irish Fry' as they fondly call it.

I wanted to do something else with it so have used it as a stuffing to go into a pork tenderloin. And how delicious it was!

Ingredients:

1 pork tenderloin
1 tbsp. oil
1 clove garlic, chopped finely
1/2 onion, chopped finely
4 rashers streaky bacon
2 handfuls breadcrumbs
small bunch parsley, chopped
approx. 80ml double cream, to bind
1/2 pint red wine
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
drizzle of runny honey

Set the oven to 180 C. Trim any excess fat off the pork tenderloin and cut down the middle 2/3 of the way through to create a large pocket for the stuffing. Set to one side.

Fry the onion, bacon and garlic in a frying pan until beginning to brown. Leave to cool for 5 minutes and then put into a bowl with the white pudding, parsley and breadcrumbs. Mix thoroughly and use the cream to bind it a little. Put the stuffing into the pocket in the pork and pull up the sides to the filling is encased. Secure with string in 4 about 4 places.

Put the pork into a roasting tray with the cut side up.Smear with the mustard and drizzle honey over the cut part. Pour the wine into the base of the roasting tin and cover with tin foil. Roast for 30 minutes, covered. Then remove the foil and cook for a further 15 minutes. You may need to top up the wine a little to stop it evaporating completely. Remove from oven and leave to rest for 2 minutes before slicing.

For the gravy:
I chopped 1 shallot and fried with 1 tbsp. butter. When cooked, add 1 tbsp. flour and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add a little chicken stock and a little of the cooking liquor to make the gravy to the consistency you like.

I served this with the last of the season brussel sprouts, shredded which I sautéed with some par boiled new potatoes. Delicious!

Now I need to come up with something else to do with the white pudding!

Sea Bass, Swede & Chorizo with Wild Garlic Chimmichurri

I thought up this recipe at 2.30am - I think it actually woke me up! I had already planned to have a lovely crispy skinned, pan friend piece of sea bass, but the swede, sweet potato and chorizo sounded interesting. And I love Chimichurri which is an Argentinian green sauce usually made with parsley and oregano. I had some wild garlic leaves that needed to be used up, so why not? And it certainly looks impressive enough for a dinner party without too much work!

For the sea bass:

I rarely like frying food but sea bass, in particular, is lovely pan fried as you get a beautiful crispy skin. I don't know about you, but flabby undercooked skin is something I would give to one of the cats. Cooked like this is delicious. All you do is cut little slices in the skin (as above), season with salt and pepper and fry a tablespoon of oil skin side down. The whole time (about 5 minutes). It doesn't need to be turned over. Spoon the hot oil over the white flesh towards the end of cooking and when you take it out of the pan the skin will be lovely and crisp.

For the swede:

Half a head of swede
1 sweet potato
1 small cooking chorizo (about 80g), chopped
25g butter

Peel and chop the swede and potato and boil until tender. Crush with a fork - don't mash till smooth, you want it very roughly mashed. Add the butter with a generous helping of black pepper and stir through. Fry the chorizo in a small dry pan, there should be enough fat in the chorizo to cook it without oil. Add the crispy chorizo to the swede/potato crush and stir through. Serve in a chefs ring with the fish on top of it..

For the sauce:

A large handful wild garlic leaves
1 small clove garlic
1 shallot, chopped
1/4 tsp. chilli flakes
juice of 1/2 lemon
3 tsp sherry vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
3-4 tbsp. olive oil

In a hand blender, blitz the leaves, garlic, shallot and chilli flakes until finely chopped. Add the lemon juice, vinegar and enough oil to make a loose sauce. Chill until needed.

The sauce can be used with any fish or meat. I am looking forward to trying it with a nice fillet steak. Or maybe some crispy chicken..

Toffee Apple Cookies

Interesting little cookies I made today. I had no eggs in the fridge and was too busy to go out so I worked a way around it by using apples blended and chopped in the mixture. Pretty good! The toffee element is actually the topping which I used from a jar of Dulce de Leche which I bought when I was in the Canary Islands. I knew I'd find a use for it!

Dulce de Leche translates as 'candy made of milk' and is basically sugar and milk boiled together. It can be bought in England - but many people use the other method of boiling tinned condensed milk in water for 2-3 hours. (If you do this PLEASE make sure the unopened can is submerged in water and don't walk away and leave it. If the water boils dry the can will most likely explode!). Fortunately, you can also buy tinned and jarred caramel too. I believe you can also melt actual toffee sweets too - but I have yet to try that!

Ingredients:

85g packed brown sugar (I used muscovado)
120g butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla essence
2 small apples, chopped finely
200g all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Method:

Set the oven to 180 C. Line two baking trays with greaseproof paper. To make it stick and sit flat, sprinkle the baking tray with water first.

Put the sugar, butter, vanilla and one of the chopped apples in a food processor and process until smooth. Put into a mixing bowl and add the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix to get a sticky dough. Fold in the other chopped apple with a spoon or spatula.

Put a heaped dessertspoon of the mixture on the tray and press a little to flatten out (use wet fingers to stop them sticking to you). Repeat, leaving about an inch in between each cookie. Cook for 8 minutes. Remove cookies and press a small hole in the centre of the cookies using a (clean) thumb or the back of a teaspoon. Put back in the oven for a further 5 minutes until golden. They will still feel soft but that is fine. Put onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

For the topping, Get a piping bag and pipe the toffee sauce (or dulce de leche) on the top. If you don't have a piping bag a teaspoon will do fine - it will just not look quite as pretty.

Eat   -    Enjoy!!!

 

Aloo Saag Gobi Curry (Vegetarian)

Not being able to decide last night on whether I fancied Aloo Gobi (an Indian potato and cauliflower bhaji) or a Saag Aloo (an Indian spinach and potato bhaji) - I decided to make them both together. And came up with this recipe for Aloo Saag Gobi Curry

This is great as a side dish or as a main dish served with my easy flatbreads (recipe on the blog), and a nice tomato, onion and coriander salsa. Its down now as one of my favourite vegetarian recipes.

Ingredients:

1/2 head cauliflower, broken into smallish florets
250g spinach
1 tbsp. oil
1 onion, chopped finely
1-2 green chillies, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 inch piece ginger, chopped
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. fenugreek
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 potatoes, peeled and chopped into 2cm pieces
3 large tomatoes, chopped
50ml water
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp. garum masala

Put the cauliflower pieces on a baking sheet, drizzle on a little oil and bake in the oven for 15 minutes at 180 C. Remove and set to one side. Wilt the spinach in a pan OR in a colander under a hot tap. Drain and leave to one side.

In a pan, fry the onion in the oil until softened. Add the garlic, chillies and ginger and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the powdered spices apart from the garum masala and stir well. After a couple of minutes add the potatoes, tomatoes and wilted spinach along with 50ml water. Stir well and leave to simmer on a low heat for 15-20 minutes uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender and the sauce thickened.

Add the roasted cauliflower, lemon juice and the garum masala and cook for 2 more minutes. Now you can serve hot with flatbreads and a tomato, coriander and onion salsa. Perfect!

Easy Moroccan Chicken with Couscous

This is one of the dishes that I cooked to leave at home in the fridge for The Bloke as I was in Ireland at the weekend. He was working night shifts, so wanted something tasty and easy to reheat. I wanted something quick to cook, as I was making a few things for him the morning I was leaving for my flight.

This is actually adapted from an award winning dish called Million Dollar Chicken. It took me about 20 minutes to cook so it worked for me and he said it was delicious! Most of the ingredients are store cupboard staples too which is handy. I simply call it Easy Moroccan Chicken with couscous.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces     (Serves2)
1 tbsp. oil
1/4 cup sliced almonds
80g green beans, cut into 1cm pieces
2 cloves garlic, sliced
250ml passata (sieved tomatoes)
60ml water
1 tsp. chilli flakes
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 tbsp. dried currants
1 tbsp. runny honey
500g couscous

Method:

In the pan, heat the oil and gently fry the almonds until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. In the same pan, cook the chicken and garlic on a medium heat for 5 minutes until just about cooked. Cook the sliced green beans in boiling water for 5 minutes.

In a bowl mix the passata, water, currants, honey, chilli flakes and spices. Then add this to the chicken. Cook on a low heat for 10 minutes and then add the almonds. Cook for 5 more minutes and season with a little salt and pepper. Serve over couscous.

There was even some left for me when I got home and it was lovely!

Duck Noodle Salad & Cauliflower Tempura

I always find it odd going on holiday, as being away from the kitchen is so unnatural to me. But I have been away for a few days and not put up any recipes, so I will give you one that I cooked last week - its one of my favourites and is taken from a salad I used to have in Canary Wharf on my lunch break when I used to work there years ago.

I am not generally a huge fan of duck as I really don't like fat on meat. I know its an each to their own thing but, I just would prefer to have lean meat with the flavours added from spice/herbs and the like. I tend to buy duck fillet strips - no skin and no fat. They are perfect for this dish of Duck Noodle Salad with Cauliflower Tempura. Its one of those you can prepare earlier and cook quickly in literally a few minutes.

Ingredients:

175g sliced lean duck
1 tsp. Chinese Five Spice
1 tsp. sesame oil
140g noodles (any type you like)
1 carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 inch piece mooli, sliced thinly (optional)
1/2 small red pepper, sliced thinly
3 spring onions, sliced diagonally
80g mange tout sliced diagonally
2 tbsp. hoisin sauce
1 tbsp. soy sauce
sesame seeds to garnish

Marinade the duck for about an hour in the Chinese Five Spice and sesame oil until just before cooking. Cook the noodles in hot water for a minute or two and drain. Refresh under cold water, drain again and set to one side. Stir fry the duck for 4 minutes or until cooked and add the vegetables for one minute only. Add the hoisin and soy to the pan and mix quickly. Then plate up the noodles and pile the duck on top. Garnish with sesame seeds and enjoy!

For the Cauliflower Tempura:

1/2 cauliflower, cut into bite sized florets
100g flour
1 tsp. turmeric powder
pinch of salt
175ml iced water
2 eggs
vegetable oil for frying

Cook the cauliflower florets for 3 minutes in boiling water and drain on a tea towel. Leave to dry out a bit so that the batter sticks well to them.

Put the flour in a bowl with the turmeric and a pinch of salt, mix together. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and first whisk the egg yolks with the iced water and add them to the flour. The lumps of ice won't melt, but that's fine, it'll keep the batter cold. Whisk together to make a smooth batter. In a separate bowl whisk the egg white until stiff and then add them to the batter, gently folding in to prevent losing the air that you have whisked in. Add the cauliflower pieces to the batter and heat the oil to about 2 inch depth in a deep heavy based pan.

Fry the cauliflower pieces, only a few at a time, until crispy. Keep the cooked ones warm in a low oven. Serve with a dip made with half soy, half white vinegar and a dash of sesame oil.  Scatter with chopped spring onion for garnish and serve hot with the duck noodle salad. Yummy!

Note: You could also add some orange segments to the salad and a little orange juice to the dressing. I didn't have any to hand but would probably have done if they had been in the fruit bowl!

Oat, Raisin and Hazelnut Cookies

It a Friday - definitely a day for cookies! Today we have these biscuits made with porridge oats. I haven't been eating my porridge recently so seemed to have rather a lot of it. So what better than to make a sensible breakfast into a sensible (well...maybe not) cookie. It also was a great way to use up some of the black treacle that's been sitting in my cupboard since I made a Christmas cake! These are my Oat, Raisin & Hazelnut Cookies.

Ingredients:   (Makes about 60)

250g butter
200g packed dark brown sugar
50g caster sugar
2 eggs
2 tbsp. black treacle
1 tbsp. vanilla essence
200g all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
pinch salt
200g porridge oats
200g raisins
100g chopped hazelnuts

Method:

Soak the raisins in hot water for 10 minutes to plump up, then drain on kitchen paper. Then cream together then butter and both sugars using a hand whisk or a wooden spoon.. Add the eggs and combine well. Then add the black treacle and vanilla essence, mixing all well together.

Add the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon and mix with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined. Finally add the porridge, fruit and nuts and mix well until you get a sticky dough. Wrap in cling film and chill for an hour. At this stage I tend to half it and freeze half of the dough which you can freeze for up to 3 months (make sure you defrost well before cooking next time).

To cook, cover 2 baking sheets with greaseproof paper. A good way to get the paper to stick to the sheet with a sprinkle of water. Make small balls of a about an inch and a half and place them on the baking sheet. Press lightly with a fork to flatten slightly. Continue, leaving about an inch between each cookie. Put in the oven, set at 170 C for 10 minutes until the just beginning to brown and remove. They will still look very soft at this stage so leave them to cook on the baking tray for 5 minutes before putting onto a wire rack to cool completely before eating. I say this but I ate two that were still hot as I couldn't wait!

Enjoy!

Thai Green Chicken Curry

The funny thing about doing this blog is that its very telling. I tend to cook whatever I fancy at the time, so I am never really sure what my favourite food is. But looking back over the posts on the blog - it appears that I slightly favour Asian food. But considering my love for punchy flavour and chillies aplenty, maybe that makes sense.

The main reason I made Green Curry last night at all was actually because last weekend we went to a place called Hoo Hing in Leyton, London. They are an Asian wholesalers and you can get all sorts of goodies there. One of them was some mini aubergines which are perfect for this dish. You can use normal purple large aubergines of course, but if you can get the baby aubergines it gives it that extra touch of authenticity. I love them.

As with many if these recipes, you can make your life a lot easier by buying green curry paste, I recommend the 'Thai Taste' brand. But here I have made the paste first as I had all of the ingredients and all you need is a mini blender (about £15 in Argos). It does look like a long list but the flavour is worth it and it is the main part of the recipe. The curry takes no time at all!

For the paste:

1 stalk lemongrass, sliced finely
1 shallot roughly chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled
1 inch piece of galangal, or same of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
3 green chillies (1 used 2 medium heat and 1 Thai birds eye, seeds included)
handful fresh coriander
handful fresh basil
2 tbsp. fish sauce
1 tbsp. light soy sauce
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. white pepper
1 tsp. shrimp paste
1 tbsp. palm sugar (normal sugar is fine)
juice of 1 limes
2 tbsp. coconut milk.

Put all of the above into a blender and blend to a loose paste. You will need all of this paste to make a curry for two.

Chicken Thai Green Curry

2-3 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
curry paste (as above or 3-4 tbsps. of ready made)
3 kaffir lime leaves, chopped or freeze dried, crumbled
180g mini aubergines, quartered or 1 large chopped
1 can (400ml) coconut milk
100ml chicken stock
1 tsp. fish sauce
1 tsp. palm sugar
basil to finish

Method:

Pour half a can of the coconut milk into a pan and heat. Add the curry paste, stir and cook for about 10-15 minutes until fragrant and the spices have cooked. Add chicken and cook on medium heat for another 5 minutes. Add the aubergines, stock, remaining coconut milk, sugar and fish sauce. Leave to cook for another 10 minutes until sauce glossy and the smell in the kitchen is amazing. Serve with the basil over the top and a little steamed rice on the side. Yummy!

Potato and Leek Soup

Avid readers of this blog will notice that I have put up quite a few recipes for homemade soup. The reason for that is obvious of course, I personally happen to love soup. Although not until I started making it at home. Tinned varieties just don't seem to quite have the warming happy feeling included which is the whole point to me. The smell of Leek and Potato soup has me feeling like I am wrapped in a blanket all warm, whilst looking out the window on a cold day.

The Bloke's favourite is Potato and Leek soup, so this is the one I make the most often. The other day he mentioned his surprise that it wasn't on the blog! So here it is. My potato and leek soup.

Ingredients:

40g butter
3 large (baking) potatoes, chopped
3 large leeks, sliced
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 litre chicken stock (cube is fine)
100ml milk
100ml double cream
streaky bacon, chopped and fried (for garnish)
few chives, snipped (for garnish) 

In a large pan, melt the butter. Add the onion, leeks and potatoes and coat well with the butter. Season with pepper (I don't add salt as the garnish is bacon which is salty - but you can add some at this stage if liked). Cook for a few minutes on a medium/low heat while you make a cartouche. This is a piece of greaseproof paper which you cut to a little larger than the surface of the soup. Crush it into a ball under running water and shake off the excess. Put this on top of the vegetables (tucking in snugly) and put the lid on the pan. This helps the veg steam nicely without browning. Cook like this for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, remove the cartouche and add the stock to the pan. Cook for a further 5-10 minutes until vegetables soft. Remove the pan from the heat and using a hand blender, blend the soup. You can make it as smooth as you like, but I like to keep a few bits of leek unblended for texture. Put the pan back on the low heat and add the milk and the cream. Stir through to heat and serve in a big bowl scattered with the bacon bits and some snipped chives. Perfect with fresh crusty rolls!

Perfect Fish Pie (with all the trimmings)

This is THE comfort food of England in many ways. Although many countries have their version, I cannot think of a more comfort food than a simple English fish pie. You cook this - and everyone eating it goes quiet. And when they have cleaned their plates with lots of "mmm" noises...they all sit back. Happy and content. Its just one of those dishes that does that.

Simple, perfect, fit for a king...Fish Pie. With all the trimmings.

Ingredients:    (Serves 4-6)

3-4 large white potatoes
knob of butter
3 cod fillets, chopped into 1 inch pieces
2 skinless salmon fillets, chopped into 1 inch pieces
175g cooked small prawns
2 eggs, boiled & sliced
250g spinach, wilted for a few minutes in a lidded pan (no water)
50g butter
1 small leek, sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
50g flour
about 400ml milk
grate of nutmeg
15g fresh dill OR 1 tsp. dried parsley


Method:

Peel and cut the potatoes into cubes and boil for 15-20 minutes until soft. Drain, add the butter and mash. Season with a little salt & pepper and set to one side.

Put the raw cod, raw salmon & cooked prawns into a oven dish (about 10 inches) and top with the sliced egg and spread over the wilted spinach.

Make the sauce by heating the butter and frying the leek with the garlic on a low heat. In about 4-5 minutes when the leek is soft, add the flour and stir in, letting it cook dry for 2 minutes, whilst stirring. Then add the milk slowly until you have a double cream consistency. Add the dill and nutmeg.  It will thicken as you cook. When ready, turn off the heat and pour over the fish/spinach mix.

The best way to top with the potato is with the back of a dessert spoon. Take small amounts and 'wipe' onto the sides on the dish until you have gone all the way around (this way makes sure you have covered all the sides). Then fill the middle in with the remaining mashed potatoes. Use a fork to 'roughen up' the top and dot with a little butter, if liked.

Put in the oven at 180 C for 30 minutes and serve with broccoli.

Delicious...and a definite people pleaser!!

When I say with all the trimmings - I mean they are all inside. Fish, egg, spinach, dill sauce... all you need is simple steamed broccoli on the side. Perfect!

Linguine Carbonara

Often used making spaghetti, this is a dish originating from Rome, Italy. There are so many different things that have been added to it over the years and you can even buy a ready made sauce called carbonara sauce. Which to me is odd as it isn't meant to actually be a sauce.

This version sticks as closely to the original - no wine, no onions, no parsley, no mushrooms and particularly, no cream. You can, of course, add what you like but I believe the beauty is in the absolute simplicity of the dish.

You can't go wrong and you will love this simple, quick to cook, Linguine Carbonara.

Ingredients:     (Serves 2)

100g streaky bacon
40g parmesan cheese
2 eggs + 1 egg yolk
250g linguine
black pepper

Method:

Heat your serving dishes in a low oven. Bring a large pot of water to boil and add the linguine. While this is cooking, beat the eggs and egg yolk in a jug and add all but one tablespoon of the cheese, stirring well.

Snip the bacon into small pieces using kitchen scissors and dry fry (there should be enough fat in the bacon, if there isn't add 1 scant tsp. oil). When the bacon is beginning to crisp (but not brown) and the pasta is al dente, drain the pasta, reserving a small cup of the cooking water.

Add the pasta to the bacon and stir well to cover the pasta with the bacon juices. Take off the heat and add the egg, cheese mix and stir well. The heat of the pan will cook the eggs and thicken. Add a tablespoon or two of the cooking water to loosen and serve immediately. Top with the reserved cheese and serve immediately.

Note: I served this with some leftover ciabatta, toasted and spread with the garlic puree I made the other day. Delicious!

Dutch Frikandellen

I had these in Amsterdam whilst walking around a market and promised myself I would make them one day. And so, a couple of weeks ago, on the night I made the Bitterballen - I also made an apple and potato salad and a plate of hot Frikandellen! These are skinless sausages that you can make at home. No meat grinder and no sausage machine needed. They are boiled and then deep fried.

These are absolutely not difficult to make and taste home-made and delicious! Give them a go.

Ingredients:

500g chicken breast
500g beef (I used stewing steak)
225g either pork meat or pancetta (I used a fatty pancetta)
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. ground allspice
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp.salt.
1 tsp. ground black pepper
180ml double cream

small water/sofa bottle (empty and washed)

Method:

Put all of the above apart from the cream into a food processor and process until fine. Add the cream and process again until you get a raw sausage like consistency.

To make the sausages boil a large pan of water. Get the bottle and cut off the bottom end. Keeping the lid on for now, push the sausage meat into the bottle and find something that has the same diameter (bottom of a sherry glass?) to be able to push the meat out of the top. Remove the lid and push out a length of about 10 inches - use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut off the meat. The sausages will shrink in the boiling water to about 6-7 inches which is about right. Do a few more but not too many in the pan. Boil for 5 minutes and using a slotted spoon, remove from the water and drain on kitchen paper. Repeat until all the meat mixture is cooked.

You can, at this stage, leave until ready to fry later - or you can fry them immediately. Pour about 2-3 inches of vegetable oil into a deep pan and heat until a scrap of bread browns in a couple of seconds. Add the sausages, a couple at a time, and cook until crispy and browned. Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm while you do the remainder.

Serve in a bowl scattered with finely chopped raw onion with ketchup, mayonnaise and some soft rolls. Enjoy!!

Cherry Daisy Pie

This is not really a recipe. This is leftover pastry needing a home, but as it looked so sweet, I thought I'd share it with you.. Having made my Chicken and Wild Garlic Pie - I had a bit of leftover pastry. Now I am not one to waste, so I opened the fridge door - as I always do - for inspiration. There sitting in a small pot was some leftover cherries from some cherry cookies I had made the other day.

I popped the cherries in a pan with 2 tbsp. of caster sugar and a dash of orange liqueur and cooked down a little until mushy. I rolled out a circle of pastry and popped it on a small plate. Topped with the cherries and brought up the sides of the pastry to hold them in, and decorated with pastry daisies. Little egg wash and put in the oven at the same time as the pie (180 C for 20 mins).

Cute as a button and delicious with hot, sweet custard.

Chicken & Wild Garlic Pie

Yesterday was cold in London. A typical English Spring; raining and cold. It was a stay at home type of Sunday too. I needed to make pies - that would warm us up. In the morning I took three very small chicken breasts out of the freezer to defrost and rooted through the vegetables to see what could join the chicken... Wild garlic leaves. Perfect. I used ready made pastry. I sometimes make it myself but I wasn't in the mood. And no, there is nothing wrong with buying pastry!

A lot of people  forage for wild garlic - it does grow in lots of places. I didn't, I bought it in the supermarket. But that's because I really need to get back to my foraging books to research because wild garlic leaves look an awful lot like Lily of the Valley which (in natures typical way) not only grows at the same time of year - but grows close to garlic. And Lily of the Valley leaves are poisonous. So, for this time, I bought some to make my Chicken & Wild Garlic Pie.

Ingredients:

2 medium chicken breasts, chopped into centimetre cubes
50g wild garlic leaves, roughly sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp. oil
30g butter
2 tbsp. flour
300ml chicken stock
1/2 glass of wine
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried sage
1 egg, beaten
pack of ready made shortcrust pastry

Method:

In a pan, fry the onion in the oil until translucent. Add the chicken and stir fry until mostly cooked. Add the flour, stir in well and cook for 2 minutes to cook out the floury taste. Then add half of the stock and mix well. Then add the wine and turn up the heat to cook off the alcohol. Finally add the remaining stock, along with the garlic leaves, thyme and sage. Stir well and cook on a medium heat for a further five minutes until the leaves are wilted and the sauce a thick gravy. Put chicken mix into two individual pie dishes, or one larger one.

Cut the pastry to fit, Press down on the edges with the back of a spoon and decorate the top with leftover scraps of pastry. Brush with egg and cook in the oven at 180 C for approx. 25 minutes.

Serve piping hot with boiled potatoes and peas. Yummy!

Blackened Steak with Garlic Puree

This recipe is just taking simple ingredients and elevating them up to as high as you can in flavour. The steak is blackened simply by marinating in a few herbs and spices and pan frying and resting for the correct time, so its juicy moist in the middle. Its all in the resting.

The garlic puree came about because I struggle to make a garlic sauce that's...well...garlicky enough. I'm not a huge fan of garlic butter so I made this. The garlic is cooked in milk so its mellow and sweet without the sharp kick and it complements a steak better than any other accompaniment, in my opinion.

For the steak marinade whisk together:

1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tbsp. dried oregano
1 tbsp. paprika
1/4 cup olive oil

Put the steaks in the marinade and leave to chill for a couple of hours before pan frying. When its cooked to your liking, make sure you rest the steaks in foil, covered with a tea towel for about 3 minutes. Perfect!

Then there is the Garlic Puree.

Separate and peel 2 whole bulbs of garlic (you need about 18 cloves). Put in a small pan and cover with milk. Cook on a low heat for about 15-20 minutes, or until the garlic is soft and tender. Put the cloves with some of the milk into a hand blender and blitz until you have a paste. You can add more milk if you want it thinner than I have here.

The great thing is that you can put whatever you don't eat into the fridge in a small pot and use it in anything. A spoonful of this is any dinner will save you the hassle of peeling and chopping garlic! Personally though, I like it on its own as a sauce or a dip.



Perfect steak dinner!

Fresh Thai Orange Salad

The final dish that was in the Thai dinner we had last night was a Thai Orange Salad. Fresh, colourful, crunchy and with a sprinkling of chopped peanuts.

An old favourite: Thai Orange Salad

Ingredients:

thinly sliced cabbage (about a quarter)
1 small carrot, grated
2 inch piece mooli, sliced thinly
3 spring onions, sliced
25g fresh coriander, chopped
2 large oranges, pith removed & segmented

For the dressing:
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tbsp. maple syrup
1 clove garlic, minced
1 inch piece fresh ginger, chopped finely
2 tbsp. sesame oil

Add all the salad ingredients to a bowl. Whisk the dressing ingredients together and dress the salad just before serving. Top with chopped peanuts and serve.

Thai meal all together. Was delicious!

Thai Chicken Satay

Not a dish for those allergic to peanuts!!! But if you're not - what luck. This is just such a nice comforting taste. I only had my first chicken satay (long story) a few weeks ago. I loved it so much I had to make it myself. Which was difficult in a way because I wasn't exactly sure how it was meant to taste exactly, or whether to serve it hot or cold?!

I made the dish adding bits here and there and served it hot with chicken that had been marinating all afternoon, simply grilled quickly. It was lovely.

For the chicken:   (makes 5-6 skewers - serves 2)

2 medium chicken breasts
1/2 cup (125ml) coconut milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. fresh ginger, chopped finely
1 tsp. garlic, chopped finely
1 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Slice the chicken lengthwise into about 5 strips. Put into a zip lock bag along with the rest of the ingredients and chill for about 2 hours.

When about to cook, soak wooden skewers in cold water for about 1/2 hour and then thread the chicken strips onto them in a zig-zag motion. Set grill to its highest setting and grill for about 7 minutes turning frequently.

For the satay sauce:

3/4 cup (200ml) coconut milk
1 tbsp. Thai red curry paste
1 tbsp. fish sauce
4 tbsp. peanut butter
3 tbsp. caster sugar
2 tsp. tamarind paste
1 tbsp. soy sauce.
2 tbsp. chopped peanuts

In a small pan, heat the coconut milk with the curry paste until dissolved. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir on a low heat as it thickens. Serve HOT over the chicken skewers and top with chopped peanuts. Delicious!

Thai Prawn Cakes & Coriander Dip

Last night I cooked Thai food. One of my favourite foods to cook and eat. I tend to change the recipe (and the size) of the Prawn cakes every time I make them - but these were my favourites.

I wrote it down quickly. You need to make a note of everything when cooking Thai food because its a little bit of this, a little of that (taste)...more lime, a touch more sugar.. and its easy to forget while you are getting that perfect Thai taste. This was what I did.



Thai Prawn Cakes

Ingredients:  (makes about 10)

225g raw large prawns
1/2 onion
1 slice bread
1/2 beaten egg
pinch cayenne pepper
1 green chilli
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp. oil (for frying)

Method: Put all of the above ingredients (apart from the oil) into a food processor and blend well. Put in a bowl and leave in the fridge until ready to cook.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and take small amounts to make a 1 1/2 inch patty. Fry on both sides and then drain on kitchen paper. Keep warm in the oven while you make the rest.

For the dip:

2 cloves garlic
1 large green chilli
1 tbsp. palm sugar (normal sugar is fine too)
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp. fish sauce
25g fresh coriander
1 tbsp. water

Using a hand blender, blitz all of the ingredients until combined to make a loose dip. Put into serving dishes and serve with the prawn cakes. Delicious!

Thai Prawn Cakes with Coriander Dip