A Spoonful Of Sugar And The Seven Secret Ingredients

first published 5^th August 2011

This week the featured recipes have seven ingredients, they are Fettucine Alfredo, Chargrilled Chicken with Mojo Sauce and Cod with Tomato and Chilli Sauce.

 

My first recipe is Fettucine Alfredo recipe courtesy of www.allrecipes.com.

Serves 4, Prep time 10mins, cooking time 10mins.

280g x Fettuccine Pasta
115g x Butter
5 x Garlic Cloves, chopped
235ml x Double Cream
1 x Egg Yolk
160g x Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
3g x Dried Parsley

 

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the fettucine pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente and drain. In a large skillet melt the butter and add the chopped garlic. Cook on low for about 5 minutes, stirring often, making sure not to burn the garlic.
Pour about a 60ml of the double cream into a small bowl. Add the egg yolk and beat together then put aside. Pour the remaining cream into the frying pan. Increase the heat to medium-high. As the cream starts to boil, mix rapidly using a whisk. Slowly add the cream/egg mixture as you do not want the egg to curdle, continue whisking until well blended. Add half of the Parmesan cheese and continue to mix the cream, pour in the remaining Parmesan and the parsley and mix until smooth. Immediately remove from stove. Serve poured over cooked pasta.

 

 

My next recipe is Chargrilled Chicken with Mojo Sauce, courtesy of Olive Magazine March 2011

Serves 2, Prep time 15mins, Cooking time approx. 5mins

2 x Skinless Chicken Breasts
2 tbsp x Olive Oil
2 x Garlic Cloves, crushed
1tsp x Cumin Seeds, toasted
1 x Orange, juiced and zested
1 x Lime, juiced and zested
A Handful of Flat-Leaf Parsley, chopped

 

Cut into the chicken breast, horizontally and open out like a book – gently flatten a little. Griddle for 2-3 minutes on each side. Whisk the olive oil, garlic, cumin, orange and lime juice and zest, season and add the parsley. Serve the chicken with the mojo sauce, and new potatoes.

 

 

My final recipe is Cod with Tomato and Chilli Sauce, courtesy of Olive Magazine March 2011.

Serves 2 Prep time A few mins, Cook time approx. 15mins

Olive Oil
1 x Garlic Clove, sliced
4 x Chorizo Slices, cut into matchsticks
A Pinch of Chilli Flakes
1 x 400g Can of Chopped Tomatoes
2 x Thick Skinless Cod Fillets (or any other white fish from a sustainable source) 
Green Beans, cooked to serve

 

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan then cook the garlic and chorizo for a few minutes. Add the chilli and tomatoes and simmer for 10mins until thickened and season. Meanwhile rub the fish with a little more oil, season and grill or steam until cooked through, about 4-6mins. Serve the fish with the sauce and green beans.

 

The Good And The Bad Faces Of Humankind

(first published 13^th July 2012)

Hi everyone and welcome to the blog. This week’s recipes have an Afrikaans theme, they are Bunny Chow, Safari Eggs and Bobotie.

 

My first recipe is Bunny Chow Recipe by Alan Coxon, courtesy of www.uktv.co.uk/food

Serves:4 Prep time: 20 min Cook time: 35 min

15ml x Oil
1 x Onion, chopped
1 x Garlic Clove, crushed
1/2 tsp x Turmeric
1/2 tsp x Garam Masala
1/2 tsp x Salt
1 x Cinnamon Stick
1 tsp x Fresh Grated Ginger
1/2 tsp x Ground Cumin
1/2 tsp x Curry Powder
1 x Chilli, finely diced
250g x Minced Beef
2 tsp x Tomato Purée
150ml x Beef Stock
1 x 400g tin of Butter Beans
A Loaf of Crusty White Bread

Heat the oil over a gentle heat, add the onion and cook until softened. Add the garlic followed by the turmeric, garam masala, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cumin, curry powder and chilli and cook for a couple of minutes.

Increase the heat and add the meat, stirring until browned. Add the tomato puree and then the stock, stir and simmer for a couple of minutes. Add the butter beans and cook the dish gently on a low heat for about thirty minutes. When ready, cut the bread in half lengthways, scoop out the middle and set aside. Fill the hollowed-out bread with the curry mix and serve.

 

My next recipe is Safari Eggs Recipe by Jason Atherton, courtesy of www.uktv.co.uk/food

Serves:4 Prep time:10mins Cook time:15mins

4 x Large Tomatoes
4 x Eggs, at room temperature
250g x Soft White or Brown Breadcrumbs
2 tbsp x Chopped Parsley
8 x Rindless Rashers of Bacon
Vegetable Oil, for frying
Salt and Black Pepper

Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Cut a slice off the top of each tomato and remove the pith and seeds. Season the inside of the tomato with salt and pepper and set aside to drain, cut side down.

Meanwhile, soft boil the eggs: place the eggs in a small saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Boil for 1 minute, then switch off the heat and allow to stand for 2 minutes. Stir occasionally to keep the yolks in the middle.
Lift the eggs from the water, plunge into cold water to cool, and then remove the shells.

Place the eggs inside the tomatoes and stand in a baking dish with the tomato ‘lids’. Mix together the breadcrumbs and parsley, and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle onto the tomatoes and bake for 10 minutes. While the eggs are baking, fry the bacon in a little oil in a frying pan. Serve the eggs piping hot with the bacon alongside.

 

My final recipe is Bobotie Courtesy of Good Food Magazine February 2008.

Serves 6 Prep 30 mins Cook 40 mins

2 x Slices of White Bread
2 x Onions, chopped
25g x Butter
2 x Garlic Cloves, crushed
1kg x Lean Minced Beef
2 tbsp x Madras Curry Paste
1 tsp x Dried Mixed Herbs
3 x Cloves
5 x Allspice Berries
2 tbsp x Mango Chutney
3 tbsp x Sultanas
6 x Bay Leaves

For The Topping
300ml x Full-Cream Milk
2 x Large Eggs

Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Pour cold water over the bread and set aside to soak.
Meanwhile, fry the onions in the butter, stirring regularly for 10 mins until they are soft and starting to colour. Add the garlic and beef and stir well, crushing the mince into fine grains until it changes colour. Stir in the curry paste, herbs, spices, chutney, sultanas and 2 of the bay leaves with 1 tsp salt and plenty of ground black pepper.

Cover and simmer for 10 mins. Squeeze the water from the bread, then beat into the meat mixture until well blended. Tip into an oval ovenproof dish (23 x 33cm and about 5-6cm deep). Press the mixture down well and smooth the top. You can make this and chill 1 day ahead.
For the topping, beat the milk and eggs with seasoning, then pour over the meat. Top with the remaining bay leaves and bake for 35-40 mins until the topping is set and starting to turn golden.

“For seventeen days, they are roommates. For seventeen days, they are soulmates. And for twenty-two seconds, they are competitors. Seventeen days as equals. Twenty-two seconds as adversaries. What a wonderful world that would be. That’s the hope I see in the Olympic Games.” – Nelson Mandela

 

All The President’s Men

(first published 1^st July 2011)

Hi everyone and welcome to the blog. This week’s blog is dedicated to American Independence Day. The recipes featured this week are all American favourites, or versions of them. They are Maple Chicken & Ribs, Seared Cod with Chowder Sauce, and Key Lime Pie.

 

My first recipe is Maple Chicken & Ribs, recipe by Nigella Dawson courtesy of Nigella.com

Serves 6-8, takes minutes plus marinating time to prepare and 1.1/4 hr to cook.

12 x Pork Spare Ribs
12 x Chicken Thighs, skin and bone still on
250ml x Apple Juice, as sharp as possible
4 tbsp x Maple Syrup
2 tbsp x Vegetable Oil
2 tbsp x Soy Sauce
2 x Star Anise
1 x Cinnamon Stick, halved
6 x Garlic Cloves, unpeeled

Put the ribs and chicken pieces in a couple of large freezer bags or into a dish. Add the remaining ingredients, squelching everything together well, before sealing the bag or covering the dish. Leave to marinate in the fridge overnight or up to two days. When the marinating time is up, take the dish out of the fridge and preheat the oven to 200°/gas mark 6. Pour the contents of the freezer bag into one or two large roasting tins (making sure the chicken is skin-side up), place in the oven and cook for about an hour and a quarter, by which time everything should be sticky and glossed conker-brown.

 

My next recipe is Seared Cod with Chowder Sauce, recipe by Emma Lewis courtesy of BBC Good Food website. First published in Good Food Magazine July 2009.

Serves 2, takes 10mins to prepare and 25mins to cook.

knob of butter
1 x Small Shallot , finely chopped
50g x Lardons or 2 x Smoked Streaky Bacon Rashers, finely sliced
100ml x White Wine
1 x Large Waxy Potato , cut into small chunks
100g x Clams
100g x Sweetcorn
50ml x Double Cream
1 tbsp x Vegetable Oil
2 x 150g Thick-Cut Cod Fillets from a sustainable source
Chives , finely chopped

Melt the butter in a pan. Cook the shallot and lardons or bacon for about 5 mins until softened. Add the wine, potato and 50ml water. Cover, then cook for 10 mins, stirring often, until nearly softened. Tip in the clams, cover, then cook for 5 mins until they have opened – discard any that don’t. Stir through the sweetcorn and cream, and keep warm.

Heat a non-stick frying pan until smoking. Add the oil, swirl it around, then put the fillets in, skin-side down. Season, then cook for 3-5 mins until the skin is crisp. Carefully turn over, then cook for 2 mins more until just cooked through. Spoon the creamy potato mixture into 2 shallow bowls. Place a cod fillet in each and sprinkle with chives.

 

My final recipe is Key Lime Pie, courtesy of GoodFood Channel website.

Serves 6, takes 20mins + 30mins chill time to prepare and 25mins to cook.

55g x Reduced Fat Spread
140g x Light Digestive Biscuits, crushed
3 x Eggs, separated
405g x Light Condensed Milk, such as Carnation
3 x Limes, finely grated zest and juice only
85g x Caster Sugar

Melt the margarine and add to the crushed biscuits, tip into an 18cm flan or cake tin to form an even base. Chill for 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C/gas 4. Beat the egg yolks together with the condensed milk for 1 minute then stir in the lime zest and juice. Pour the mixture over the biscuit base and bake for 15-20 minutes until set. Leave to cool then remove from the tin and transfer the pie onto a baking sheet. You can just put the meringue on top in the tin without transferring it first but it makes it look prettier if you remove it from the tin first. With a clean whisk, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks then fold in the caster sugar. Pile the meringue onto the pie and spread out, making peaks as you go. Bake for a further 5-6 minutes until browned. Leave to cool or chill before serving.