Boozey mince pies December 17, 2009

This is such a simple way to jazz up your mince pies for Christmas

Ingredients:

1 Jar of good quality mince meat

1 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon finely rated orange peel

3 tablespoons brandy

egg cup of milk

pack of ready rolled dessert pastry

icing sugar (for decorating)

Instructions:

1. empty the jar on mincemeat into a bowl, then add to it the brandy, orange zest and giner.

2. Give everything a good stir together, then leave to rest on the side for 20 minutes.

3. Give another good stir, then taking your pastry, and using a pastry cutter, cut out large circles that will then fill a well buttered yorkshire pudding tray.

4. Place the pastry circles into the pudding tray, then using a teaspoon, spoon in plenty of the mincemeat mixture into each of the pastry circles.

5. Using a star shaped cutter, cut out tops for the pies from the remaining pastry, lay them on top, and brush lightly with milk

6. Pop into the oven on gasmark 5 for approximately 20 minutes, or until the tops have turned nicely golden

7. Remove from the oven place the pies onto a cooling tray.

8. Once cooled, take a sieve and dust the icing sugar over the tops of the mince pies.

Enjoy with a lovely glass of ginger wine!

Creamy chicken, pumpkin and sage pasta October 27, 2009

A great way to use up the flesh from your halloween pumpkins….

Ingredients:
2 tbspn olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
flesh of one small/medium sized pumpkin
200ml double cream
large bunch fresh sage
1 courgette (diced into small pieces)
10 cherry tomatoes (cut into halves)
2 chicken breasts, diced into 2 cm chunks
Pasta (I’d recommend tagliatelle)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:
1. Heat the olive oil in a pan on a medium to high heat, and add the garlic and pumpkin. Cook for approx 4 minutes, or until the pumpkin is soft
2. Pop the pasta on to boil according to pack instructions.
3. Add the courgettes, tomatoes and chicken, and cook for a further 4 minutes.
4. Pour in the cream and finely chopped sage, season to taste and cook until the chicken is cooked through and the cream has taken on all of the flavours.

Serve and enjoy!

Quick and easy Banoffee Pie October 5, 2009

A really simple favourite that will win you brownie points at any dinner party

Ingredients:
1 pack digestive biscuits
250ml whipping cream
150g butter
1 large tin carnation caramel
3 large bananas

Instructions:
1. Place the digestive biscuits into a plastic bag, then wrap with a towel and bang with a rolling pin until all of the biscuits are crumbs
2. Melt the butter in a pan and then mix into the biscuit crumbs
3. Using your (clean!) hands, transfer the biscuit mixture to a round dish/baking tray (preferably one with a removable base) and push down so that the biscuit becomes compact.
4. Place the dish into the fridge for an hour so that the base becomes hard
5. When cooled, remove the base and place sliced bananas evenly on the base
6. Taking the caramel, smear it over the bananas and then add a second layer of bananas to the dish.
7. Whisk the whipping cream until it’s stiff and then either spread evenly over the top, or place into a piping bag and slowly layer it on in little blobs as you can see in the picture above
8. Enjoy – with a nice cup of hot chocolate!

Tomato and Feta Risotto cakes October 2, 2009

A great starter, and a nice way to use up any leftover risotto

Ingredients:
2 pints vegetable stock
1 knob of butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
300g risotto rice
1 glass white wine
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
100g freshly grated Parmesan
1 pack feta cheese
150g cherry tomatoes
Sunflower oil for frying

NOTE: THIS RECIPE NEEDS TO BE MADE THE DAY BEFORE EATING It’s also great if you have left over risotto – then skip straight to day two!!

Instructions:
DAY ONE:
1. Finely chop all of your ingredients, leaving the cherry tomatoes to the side.
2. Heat a large pan and add the olive oil.
3. Throw in the garlic and onions, and cook until softened
4. Add in the rice and ensure it’s well coated in the oil, cook for approx 30 seconds
5. Pour in the white wine, stir and then leave until the wine has been absorbed
6. Turn the pan down to a medium heat and then add in the chicken stock a little at a time, pouring in more when it’s been absorbed (do not let the rice go dry and stick to the bottom of the pan!)
7. When you’ve used all of the stock, and you’re happy that the rice is cooked – add the knob of butter and seasoning to taste
8. Leave the risotto on the side to cool for around half an hour, then add in the chopped feta and cherry tomatoes. Mix well.
9. Take handfuls of the risotto mixture, and shape into fish cake type shapes and sizes.
10. When you’ve moulded all of them, place them on top of a sheet of kitchen paper, on a plate, cover with cling film and leave in the fridge over night. This will help the cakes to keep their shape when cooking the next day.
DAY TWO:
11. 30 minutes before you’re ready to eat, take a frying pan, heat with sunflower oil and place each risotto cake in for approx 3 minutes each side, or until you have a golden crispy outer.
12. Place all of the browned rice cakes onto a heated backing tray and pop in the oven on gas mark 6 for 20 – 25 minutes, turning once in the cooking process.
13. Serve on a bed of rocket with some cherry tomatoes, a squeeze of lemon and some black pepper
Enjoy!

Apple and blackberry pie September 28, 2009

A perfect winter pud, making the most of the end of the seasons blackberries and apples

Ingredients:
6 coxs apples, roughly chopped into 3cm chunks
large handful of blackberrys
Juice of 1 lemon
6 tablespoons brandy
3 tablespoons soft brown sugar
Half teaspoon ground ginger
Half teaspoon ground cinnamon
Egg cup of milk (for pastry)
small knob of butter
1 pack ready made sweet shortcrust pastry

Instructions:
1. Peel and chop the apples, add to the pie dish and coat in the lemon juice.
2. Add the sugar. brandy, ginger and cinnamon and give the apples a good toss to ensure they’re all coated in the mixture.
3. Sprinkle over the blackberry and then tear small pieces of the butter and spread evenly across the apples and blackberry
4. Roll out the pastry and place over the pie dish. Save some pastry back to cut out leaf shapes, and with a fork, press down around the edge of the pie dish to finish the pastry.
5. Brush the pasty with milk and place the pastry leaves on top. Finish with a final coat of milk and pop into a preheated oven on gas mark 5 for 20 minutes.
6. Check that the pie is nicely browned on top and then reduce the heat to gas mark 3 for a further 20 minutes.
7. Remove the pie and either serve hot with lashings of custard, or leave to cool and serve cold with a drizzle of double cream.

Enjoy!

Avocado and cucumber salsa September 21, 2009

A really refreshing salsa that’s great with any type of curry.

Ingredients:
1 & 1/2 avocados
Cucumber (approx 4 inches in length)
Handful fresh mint
Quarter of a small red onion
The juice from 1 fresh lime
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:
1. Peel and finely chop the avocado
2. Peel the cucumber, run a teaspoon along the centre to remove the seeds and then chop into rough chunks
3. Finely chop the mint and the red onion
4. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and then spread on to a chopping board.
5. Taking a large knife, chop all ingredients until they are in small rough cubes.
6. Add ingredients back to the bowl and then add in the fresh lime and salt and pepper
7. Place into a bowl for serving
Enjoy!

CIRIO winner – Tomato spaghetti September 3, 2009

Well done to Maria from SE London for winning the CIRIO competition. Marias recipe of  Tomato spaghetti is quick, healthy and economical. Congratulations also to the second winner, Leanne from Kent, who cooked up a storm with her Spanish Chicken with peppers. Both will be receiving their goody packs of CIRIO products and recipes from Whatiatelastnight.com. Many thanks as well, to all of you who kindly sent in your entries. We had great fun trying out your delicious dishes. 

Ingredients

1 pack chopped Cirio tomatoes

4 large cloves garlic

1 large red onion

Fresh basil (half a small packet)

Packet of spaghetti

Small tin of anchovies in olive oil

Parmesan cheese

8 olives (sliced)

Olive oil

Worcester Sauce/Soy sauce/seasoning to taste

 

Method

1. Put a large pan of water on to boil for the spaghetti.
2. Strain the oil from the anchovies into a frying pan together with a dash of olive oil. Put the chopped onion in and cook until softened.
3. Add the garlic, chopped tomatoes anchovies, and olives. Once all softened, add the tomatoes and break up in the pan.
4. Put spaghetti into the pan of boiling water. Wash, dry and scissor chop the fresh basil.
5. Once spaghetti is cooked, drain and return to the saucepan adding the chopped basil.
6. Transfer to serving dish, add the tomato sauce and sprinkle or shave parmesan to taste.
7. I like to add a little dash of Worcester sauce to the top of mine.

CIRIO winner – Spanish chicken with peppers September 3, 2009

Well done to Leanne from Kent for winning the CIRIO competition. Leannes recipe of Spanish chicken with peppers is absolutely delicious. Congratulations also to the second winner, Maria from SE London, who cooked up a storm with her healthy tomato spaghetti dish. Both will be receiving their goody packs of CIRIO products and recipes from Whatiatelastnight.com. Many thanks as well, to all of you who kindly sent in your entries. We had great fun trying out your delicious dishes. 

Ingredients

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

5 red peppers, sliced

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 cup of white wine

2 cups long-grain rice

4 chicken legs (remove skin)

2 packs CIRIO chopped tomatoes

1 small chorizo sausage, diced

12 small, pitted green olives (halved)

 

Method

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick pan over a medium heat.
2. Add sliced peppers and garlic. Cook for 10 minutes, of until the peppers are soft.
3. Add water, and the chicken. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Put rice on to boil and cook according to pack instructions.
5. Stir in chopped tomatoes, then add the chorizo. Cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring and turning chicken once, until chicken cooked through.
6. Add the olives and leave for a further 5 minutes.
7. Plate up the rice (I use the bottom of a Jamie Oliver ‘shaker’ to get a nice dome shape) and then add a chicken leg with plenty of the sauce to each plate.

Baked mussels with crab August 19, 2009

I first tried stuffed mussels in a tapas bar in Spain, and have been trying to find the recipe everywhere but to no avail, and so decided to give is a go myself by guessing the flavours that I remembered savouring in the harbour side bar. They turned out surprisingly well, infact exactly as I remember!  Great as a starter, or as canapes at a party, and any leftovers can be stored in the fridge over night and used the next day, moulded into fish cakes. 

 

Ingredients: 

3 medium potatoes (boiled and mashed) 

1 medium onion 

24 large, or New Zealand greenlip mussels (keep the shells!) 

2 teaspoons sweet Paprika

1 tin of brown and white mixed crab meat 

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or mild chilli powder)

2 tablespoons mayonnaise 

half cup finely grated parmesan 

seasalt and ground black pepper for seasoning 

1 lemon

- fills approx 35 mussel shells - 

 

Instructions: 

1. Peel, chop and boil the potatoes until they’re ready to mash 

2. Remove the mussels from their shells, roughly chop, and set to one side. Clean the shells thoroughly and set to one side also

3. Mash the potato and season accordingly 

4. Add the mashed potato, mussels and all other ingredients to a bowl and mix until all ingredients (except the parmesan) are blended together. 

5. Taking a hand blender, roughly blend the mixture to a puree. 

6. Take the mussel shells and spoon in the mixture to each of the shells, filling the shells and place on a baking tray 

7. Sprinkle the parmesan over the tops of the stuffed mussels so that they’re all covered, and then pop into the oven on gasmark 7 for 15 minutes

8. Remove from the oven and place on a serving dish, with wedges of lemon for your guests to squeeze over and enjoy. 

Deeeelicious!

Chimichurri sauce August 13, 2009

Great for steaks, chicken and dipping warm crusty bread in to!

Ingredients

2 finely chopped red chillies (with seeds removed)

8 cloves of finely chopped garlic 

2 large handfuls of finely chopped curly-leaved parsley

4 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp sea salt flakes

5 tbsp red wine vinegar

4-5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

5 tbsp cold water

Instructions:

1. Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and give a good stir. 

2. Cover the bowl with a sheet of cling film, then set aside overnight.

3. The chimicurri sauce is now ready to spoon over any cooked meats, or to add to a bowl for dipping. 

Enjoy!