Baked Chicken Curry

Since I have started this blog, learning to cook, I have had one goal that I was desperate to achieve. Make a really nice curry. This is where last Fridays pork vindaloo deserves a mention. It just didn't thicken and create that curry sauce, leaving me with a watery soup under my rice. This is not the first time I have experienced this and, from googling the issue, it seems I am not alone.

I picked this recipe by Hugh Fernley Whitinstall for 2 reasons. 1 - Hugh looks to nice not to trust and, 2 - How could the result be watery if it is baked.

I guess this would be considered a British curry and I am unsure how authentic it is but, 'WHOOP WHOOP' success at last. Like Joey Tribiani when he finally got a part in a film, as Al Pacino's butt, how big an achievement is debatable but I still feel I've cracked it (excuse the pun). What makes it all the more enjoyable is that I had bought the chicken to make some french recipe, found this one on tinterweb and realised I had all the ingredients about an hour before I was due to start cooking.

Ok ingredients :-

- 2 heaped tsp coriander seeds
- 2 heaped tsp cumin seeds
- 1 heaped tsp fennel seeds
- 2 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tsp ground fenugreek
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- 3 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 large green chilli, roughly chopped
- 1 thumb sized piece of ginger, roughly chopped
- 1 chicken jointed into 6 pieces, or 6 skin on bone in pieces (1.5kg approx)
- 400g tin tomatoes
- 400g tin coconut milk
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a frying pan toast the coriander, cumin and fennel seeds for a minute. they will smell aromatic when they are done. Grind them to a rough powder, I used the pestle and morter. Add the fenugreek and turmeric.

Put the onion, garlic, chilli and ginger in a food processor and blend to a coarse paste. You may have to scrape down the sides once or twice.

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in the frying pan over a medium/high heat and add the chicken pieces. Season well and brown them all over, making sure you get the skin a good colour. Transfer them to a large roasting dish, skin side up. You may have to do this in batches.

Reduce the heat and once the pan has cooled down a bit fry the spice mix for a minute or two, then add the onion paste. Fry, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes, until the paste is soft and has reduced slightly in volume. Add a little oil if it seems dry or sticking.

While the onions are frying, tip the tomatoes and coconut milk into the food processor (no need to clean it) and blitz. Pour this into the frying pan and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Season with 1 tsp salt and a good grinding of pepper, then pour the sauce over the chicken. Make sure they are all coated in the sauce then push most of the sauce off the top of the chicken so they will brown in the oven.

Place in a pre-heated oven at 180 c/ gas 4 for 1 hour, turning and basting it a couple of times (I did not do that as I forgot). Serve with basmati rice and possible a cheeky naan.

As always I promise it tastes better than it looks. 

A few other things to mention
- chlli, I used 2 with seeds in. It wasn't particularly hot but had a nice zing to it. I f you prefer mild, one with seeds removed would be fine.
- I was concerned the addition of coconut milk would make it korma or tikka masala ish but, thankfully, I was wrong.
- the tomato and coconut mix was heart stooping and I felt like abandoning the whole thing. Its like a big bowl of seafood sauce and I couldn't imagine an hour in the oven helping but, thankfully, I was wrong.
- Chicken, we all have our own preferences. If your not a fan of leg meat, use breast but go to the butcher and buy breasts on the bone. You can always remove it after cooking as it's just one small one underneath, then chop up the meat. I don't think you would get the same result with boneless meat.
- Cooking ahead, I can't see why you couldn't prepare this in advance. Remove the meat from the bone and then re-heat on the hob post pub or if friends are over.

Hope you enjoy this one x

Pear and Frangipane tart

I  am not in the habit of starting with a picture so you know I am a little bit chuffed with this.

This is a Gordon Ramsay recipe, I believe possibly the first time I have tried one of his. I like to look at him in a 'weird  crush' kind of way, but have never bought one of his books before.

He starts this recipe by saying how extremely easy it is. As I was following the stages, I rolled my eyes and thought how these chefs have a different idea of easy to us mere mortals. However after it was finished I changed my mind. Once you've done it once it seems very straight forward and I would do it again happily.

Seasonal - I love the idea but wonder how easy chefs think it is to budget and plan seasonal menus when cooking for a family and going to work ( though I know supermums who do it). Buying some seasonal fruit and veg when you have time though is now an effort I am prepared to make. Pears that are normally tastless and boring are, in season, delicious and in need of a kitchem paper bib to catch the juice. I am converted - rant over.

My tip - don't buy you pears to long, I had to cut the ends off mine to get them to fit.

Tart:
- 300g ready made puff pastry (try and get the best one you can)
- 1 egg yolk beaten with 2 tsp of water, to glaze
- 2 large or 3 medium ripe pears

Sugar syrup:
- 50g caster sugar
- 50ml water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 star anise
- juice of 1 lemon

Frangipane:
- 75g unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
- 75g icing sugar
- 1 medium egg lightly beaten
- 75g ground almonds
- 2 tbsp plain flour
1 1/2 tsp amaretto

Pre heat your oven 190 c/gas 5. Gordon adds at this point that it's best not to use a fan assisted oven for this. I don't have a double oven so had no choice and mine was fine.

Lay out the pastry on a lightly floured surface. If you have bought a block rather than a sheet of pastry roll it out to the thickness of a pound coin.
Use a 20 cm round tin/dish to cut a circle from it. Transfer the pastry to a baking sheet. Lightly score a 1.5 cm edge all the way around it. Brush the rim with the egg wash then chill while you prepare the rest.

Place all the ingredients for the syrup in a small saucepan and stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Turn the heat up and simmer for 10 minutes until it has reduced slightly, then leave to cool.

Next, beat together the butter and sugar then slowly add the egg until fully Incorporated. Add the almonds and flour and fold though. mix in the amaretto and leave to stand for five minutes.

This is when I started thinking, 'easy Gordon, really?'. Peel the pears and cut in half lenthways. remove the core then cut into slices/wedges lengthways. place them in a bowl and pour over the syrup.

OK lets put it all together. Spread the frangipane over the pastry ensuring you don't the glazed rim is clear. pick the pears out of the syrup and drain on some kitchen paper 9 keep the syrup). Arrange the pears on top of the frangipane,fanning them around. Sift over a little icing sugar. Bake until the pears are tender and the filling is golden and set, about 35 - 45minutes. Leave to cool and, if you like, brush with some of the syrup.

I would of taken a picture on a lovely plate but it unfortunately got eaten before that was possible. Shame!

Feta Salad with Spinach and Crispbread

Some days you just crave something fresh and green, but salads can sometimes lack a savoury kick. I found this recipe in Moro cookbook. It looked simple to make and I got an excuse to use some of the sumac in the larder. If anyone is not familiar with sumac, please grab a bag next time your in a spice shop. It has a citrus flavour and is delightful just sprinkled on chopped onion.

Firstly the crispbread were ridiculously simple . Grap 2 white pitta bread and with a knife run around the edge, then very carefully split them into 2 halves. Brush them with a little melted butter then pop them in the oven at 180 C/350/gas 4, for about 10-15 minutes until golden brown. Thats it! Why have I never seen this before. Since making this salad I have made the crispbreads twice more. Once with some shop bought hummous which I tarted up a bit, and again with some tapenade that was lurking in the cuboard. I love them.

Next the dressing. Mix 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, half a garlic clove crushed and 2 tsp of sumac. Add pepper and sea salt if you didn't already use it to crush the garlic. Job done.The better the vinegar and oil the better the taste obviously, if your feeling lavish grab some cabernet sauvignon vinegar.

Then just put it all together. For the main salad you need 500g young spinach leaves, 200g good quality feta, a dessertspoon of fresh oregano leaves (or maroram) and 75g of pinenuts lightly toasted. Then the crispbread. I crumbled in half the feta and most of the dressing then tossed it all up and then add the rest of the cheese and dressing on top.

I have decided to ignore recipes that say serves 4 as we polished it off between the 2 of us. If you like feta you sure to like this.

I didn't intend to blog this salad but found it worthy. Unfortunately by then there was little left to photograph so will snap it next time.

BBQ Halloumi Wrapped in Red Pepper

Not to generalise but I think sometimes carnivores can be a little unimaginative with vegetarian guests at a BBQ. Imagine there surprise when the vegetable kebab and quorn burgers don't arrive.

These peppers are substantial enough for a main dish and pack a little chilli kick.

- 4 red peppers
- 200g block of halloumi, sliced into 4 (5mm thick)
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 red chilli, finely chopped
- 2 tsp chopped oregano or 1 tsp dried
- 4 green olives, cut into slivers

Roast or grill the whole peppers until they begin to soften (you can skin them if you like). They need to be soft enough to wrap the cheese but not to soft that you won't be able to cook them again.
Open each pepper by making a cut down one side then removing the tops and bottoms so you have a strip.
Put a slice of halloumi in the centre of each, sprinkle with the lemon zest, lemon juice and chilli to taste. Divide the oregano and olives between them then wrap the peppers around the halloumi. It doesn't matter if the cheese sticks out the ends a bit.
Tie the rolls with some kitchen string that your soaked in water ( lay the string over the front, cross at the back at a right angle and tie at the front0. I think maybe a cocktail stick would work as well.
Cook the parcels on the BBQ for around 5 minutes each side or until they are starting to char and the cheese is browning at the ends and softening. Watch you don't burn the string or you'll be digging those quorn burgers out.
You can prinkle with a few more olive slivers and oregano leaves if you had fresh to posh it up a bit.

As tasty as they were I should of cooked them a little longer till they charred but everything else was ready and we were very hungry, plus I would have risked losing my trademark rubbish photograph


Time taken     1 hr 15 mins
Effort     2.5/5
End result 3.5/5

RAINING?
Grill or griddle the parcels

Bourbon-glazed Beef with Ember Baked Potatoes

I haven't added a blog in a while as I had my i phone stolen in a supermarket. I won't say which one but now I know why, in the adverts they smile over there shoulder whilst patting they're back pocket, They are checking they haven't been robbed. Anyway I had a brilliant app called recpics which I stored all the recipes I wanted to try so its been back to the drawing board.

This recipe turned out to be a real winner. I pulled it out of a magazine ages ago and wasn't expecting it to be quite as good as it was. I made up the marinade in the morning-

In a dish mix a large pinch of chilli flakes
4 garlic cloves,
125ml tomato ketchup
2 tbsp dark muscovado sugar
1 tsp english mustard, powder or paste
4 tbsp of boubon
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

All I needed was a fillet of beef so after finding none in the supermarket I popped to my local butchers. They only had Welsh Black Beef. I picked a piece suitably sized and asked the price................

After being revived and having regained full consciousness I handed over my credit card. Added the beef to the marinade and hoped it was worth it. Marinade for between 2 and 24 hrs.

Before lighting the BBQ I prepared the potatoes by piercing them several times with a skewer then coated them very lightly in olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt then wrapped each one in a double layer of aluminium foil. I used potatoes about the size of a medium lemon so if you have large ones leave them cook longer.

The main cooking-
As soon as the BBQ coals were glowing red I put the potatoes directly onto the coals (avoiding anywhere that still had a slight flame).
This is where you have to decide how you like you beef cooked. The potatoes take 20 minutes then turn them and cook for another 20 minutes.
The beef after shaking the excess glaze off needs 7 minutes on each of the 4 sides for rare and a little longer for medium.
Don't forgot the meat will need a little time to rest
Don't forget the oven gloves and be careful lifting the grill with the beef on to turn the spuds.

I heated up the remaining glaze and served on the side with a cheeking brush of the beef during cooking

Making flavoured butter for the potatoes is an easy addition. Here are a few ideas
To 125g of softened unsalted butter add either -

75g of mature cheddar, 2 tbsp chives, 1 tbsp tomato puree
or
1 garlic clove crushed, 4 tbsp chopped herbs (parsley,tarragon,basil,chives or dill)
or
Roasted red peppers from a jar or deli finely chopped, 2 shakes of tabasco or black pepper

Time taken     1 hour + marinading
Effort     1.5/5
End result     4.5/5

RAINING?
I have added this section for my Scottish readers. 'Readers' might be a bit ambitious - Hi Derek x
Sear the fillet all over in a pan for 10 minutes then cook in the oven at 200C/180C fan/gas 6 for 10 mins rare; 15 mins medium rare, rest before carving. Alas it is to dangerous to recreate ember baked potatoes indoors.

I was a tad nervous about the potatoes as earlier this week whilst removing a baked potato from my oven it exploded. Not just popped, it very extremely exploded! No group has claimed responsibility. Do they spontaneously vegetabley combust? How much does this cost the NHS every year?

I made halloumi wrapped in red peppers as a vegetable side dish but I will post this separately as they were more suited to a vegetarian main dish and would serve beef with a nice green salad next time



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Lamb and Pear Tagine

I have heard people claim they love chickpeas and couscous but in all honesty I thought they must be lying. But in the same way that I never quite got reggae until I went to Jamaica, I think I get it now. In the spiced gravy of a tagine they have found there place for me. Why try a recipe if you don't enjoy 2 of the main ingredients you might wonder. Whilst browsing this cookbook I realised I had everything but the lamb and pears so how could I not cook it. ( Ha ha yes I did have chickpeas and couscous)

- oil
- 100g plain flour
- 700g-750g diced lamb
- 1 large onion, cut into chunks
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and squashed
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground allspice
- 1 tsp garam masala
- a few juniper berries
- 1 tin x 400g tomatoes
- 450ml good lamb beef or chicken stock
- 3 pears, peeled, deseeded and quartered
- 1 400g tin chickpeas
- roughly chopped coriander

Place the flour on a plate, season with salt and pepper then toss the lamb in it to coat. Meanwhile heat the oil in a large pan and once it is nice and hot add the lamb. Cook for 3 minutes stirring frequently. Add the onion, garlic, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, garam masala and juniper berries. Season (be generous with the pepper) and cook for 5 minutes or so, stirring to ensure it doesn't burn.
Add the tin of tomatoes and the stock, bring to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for about an hour. Add the pears and chickpeas and cook for a further 15 minutes.
Serve sprinkled with the coriander. You could toast a few pine nuts and throw them on too if you fancied.

I served this with couscous. Make sure its the quick type and not raw couscous. I found a bell pepper in the larder and a mild red chilli. I popped them in the oven for half an hour then chopped the bell pepper finely and added to the couscous. I added the same about of hot chicken stock as couscous, covered the bowl and left for a few minutes, then serve.

He who genuinely tried to fake illness when he saw the couscous and chickpeas on the kitchen worktop, gave it a 4/5 and ate every scrap.

I did raise an eyebrow at putting pear in. I would use it again as it did add to the flavour even though I didn't eat all the pear. Garam masala? not exactly North African but still. If your thinking of taking time out from reading 'Which' magazine to cook this and be transported back to your travels in Morocco, I can not honestly say how authentic it will taste as I have eaten one tagine ever and that was ten years ago and in exotic Cardiff. Nonetheless it met the brief and was a lovely evening meal.

I used lamb neck as it is less expensive and perfect for this type of cooking.
I stopped the cooking just before the pear and chickpeas go in and started again 20 minutes before we were ready to eat which worked well.

Time taken     1 hour 40 mins
Effort     2.5/5
End result     4/5

This recipe is from 'Home cooking made easy' by Lorraine Pascal

Chicken Cacciatore

This dish is a fantastic excuse not to finish the bottle of red wine from the night before!

The rich flavours in the sauce and crisp skinned chicken make a very tasty combination.

He who doesn't like capers asked ' Are these small peas? '. 'Yes' I replied.

- 1 chicken jointed into 8
- olive oil ( not extra virgin )
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- 70g pancetta cubes
- 1 glass of red wine
- 2 x 400g tins cherry tomatoes ( or chopped )
- 2 tbsp capers, rinsed and drained
- 10 black olives, pitted and halved
- handful of basil leaves


Season the chicken all over. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large non stick frying pan and fry chicken until golden.
Take the chicken out of the pan and add the onions and garlic. Cook gently until the onions are soft.
Add the pancetta and cook for about 3 minutes, then add the wine and simmer until it has almost disappeared.
Add the tomatoes and season well ( taste it first as there was salt on chicken )
Simmer the sauce for about 15 minutes until it thickens then stir in the olives and capers.
Heat the oven to 190 C/ fan 170 C/gas 5. Tip the sauce into the bottem of an oven proof dish and sit the chicken in the sauce. Cook for 30-40 minutes. Stir in the basil and serve.

I used thighs and drumsticks as thats what was on offer in the supermarket but I am about to do a complete U turn and say in future I would joint a chicken or use breast on the bone. I know I have said brown meat is my prefered choice, and I wouldn't go so far as to use boneless breast but I honestly would of prepered it in this instance. I served it with some small roasted potatoes.

He who doesn't like capers and was suspisious about them being peas asked 'Are these green lentils then?'. 'Yes' I replied.

Time taken 1 hour 25 mins
Effort     3/5
end result 3.5/5

Gnocchi with Morels

Ask yourself this.............supermarket bought gnocchi or window putty! are you 100% sure you could tell them apart in a blind taste test??? Tried it years ago and never give it a second glance nowadays. I had to try this recipe for 2 reasons. Its a John Torode recipe, I have only tried a couple of his before but they are keepers. And secondly, a bit like the flies at Greggs a million Italians can't be wrong. They are not, it was really nice. Gnocchi isn't a strong presence in a meal but when made fresh and served in the right sauce it was just right.

Firstly I had a bit of a grump on when I started peeling the spuds and found myself muttering 'why are you bothing, your to tired' blah blah and so on. I wasn't in the mood so it felt like quite the task ahead. However during the folding in of flour stage I came over all 'Play Doh' and really started enjoying mucking around with the dough.

How cute are they? I felt a tad smug at this point. I made them and it was easy.

This recipe serves 6. I made the full amount and refridgerated half the dough. I used the full amout of sauce though as it's very British, just chuck it all on. This recipe reads as if its a lot to do and may put you off but it really wasn't that complicated and was worth a little effort.

- 900g of floury potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
- 250g plain flour
- 30g dried morels
- olive oil
- butter (unsalted)
- 1 shallot, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 200g chestnut mushrooms, roughly chopped
- handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 100g parmesan, grated
- 200g creme fraiche

Boil the potatoes in as little water as possible until just tender. Drain very thoroughly and put back in the pan over a low heat for a moment to dry out the moisture.
Mash the potatoes while they are still warm (they must be warm for this to work), season then slowly add the flour, kneading slowly by folding the edges into the centre then pressing down lightly before sprinkling in each further addition of flour. Once its on the board it cools enough to handle but watch your hands. The recipe say's until soft and 'duvet like', ?????? OK! Don't overwork the dough or you will spoil the structure and end up with gnocchi thats powdery outside and pulpy inside.
Take little balls of dough and roll into long sausages about 2cm in diameter. Then cut these into 3 cm pieces. Press each against the back of a fork, to curve them slighly and leave indentations that will hold the sauce.
To make the sauce soak all but 2 of the morels in boiling water to rehydrate. Whizz the 2 remaining morels in a spice grinder to powder. Heat 1 tbsp of oil and a large knob of butter in a pan and cook the shallots and garlic until softened. Add the chestnut mushrooms and cook til softened then add the soaked morels and heat through.
Cook the gnocchi in plenty of lightly salted simmering water for 3-4 mins. The gnocchi is cooked 2 mins after they rise to the surface.
In a clean pan add more olive oil and butter. Add the mushroom mix and gnocci, give it a toss then add the parsley, parmesan and creme fraiche and toss again. Season with the morel powder to finish.

Time taken     45 minutes
Effort     3.5/5
End result     4/5    It was delicious

Morels are not dry enough to pound to a powder with a morter and pestle and my food processer didn't quite acheive powder either. I am not sure if the larger than powder pieces effected the dish as I forgot to put them on. Therefore if you can't be bothered making dust a la morel, don't loose any sleep.

I must add that since I started this blob a few things have improved greatly. My confidence in tackling recipes that on paper seem a bit daunting. My chopping! (like a ninja). Finally and the reason for mentioning it.....MY SPELLING. Today for the first time I pressed spell check and the page didn't light up like blackpool illuminations, There wasn't a single yellow box :-)) I bet my spell check is just exhausted and given up!!!

Obviously I added that last bit after the spell check and am leaving it there to show what a berk I am

Chicken Glazed in Hoisin Sauce

This blog is about trying new recipes and seeing if they turn out as good as they look, so why oh why am I blogging a recipe I have been using for many years? Have I run out of recipes already? Have I just gone completely mad? Are you bothered?

This recipe was the first recipe I actually ever tried. Its from a wonderful book called Yan-kits Classic Chinese Cookbook. I bought it with my first wage packet from working Saturdays on the photographic counter in 'Boots the Chemist', s it was known then. My pal Teresa and I bought all the ingredients and set about making an almighty mess.We were more than surprised how well it turned out, as through pure luck we had stumbled upon an idiot proof recipe. I remember it took us ages to clean up and my mum was seriously peeved with us. Its not like we were down the local industrial estate drinking Thunderbird cider. Anyway she forgot all about it a few weeks later when we tried a Chinese dessert involving caramel and covered half the kitchen in it. Doesn't come off as it turns out.

- 2-3 chicken breasts skinned and boned
- 6 tbsp groundnut or corn oil
- 5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped (4 if fat ones)
- 4-5 spring onions cut into 2.5cm (1 inch) pieces, white and green parts separated
- 1 1/2 tbsp shaohsing wine or medium dry sherry
- 50g roasted cashew nuts
Marinade:-
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 8 turns of white pepper mill ( black pepper won't work)
- 2 tsp shaohsing wine or sherry
- 1 tsp cornflour
- 1/2 egg white lightly beaten
- 2 tsp of sesame oil

Dice the chicken into 2 cm cubes. Place in a bowl then add the salt pepper and wine then sprinkle over the cornflour and stir in the egg white. Leave to marinade for 30 minutes then blend in the sesame oil.

Heat a wok over a high heat until smoke rises ( obviously just a very hot wok will do - non stick woks don't smoke like the metal ones so please don't keep going till it melts). Add 5 tbsp of the oil and give it a swirl. pop in two-thirds of the garlic and the white spring onion. Toss a few times then add the chicken. Stir fry for 2 minutes making sure you get the spatula underneath and turn the chicken. lower the heat then splash the wine around the sides. As soon as the sizzling dies down remove the chicken still a little undercooked to a warm plate.

Increase the heat and add the remaining 1 tbsp of oil and swirl it around. Add the remaining garlic and as it sizzles add the hoisin sauce and stir well. Return the chicken to the wok and toss it in the sauce to glaze until just cooked. serve in a warm serving dish with some egg fried rice.

Ok before we go to the picture, I believe I have worked out why my food snaps are so bad. Its my dinner, I haven't made it to sit around taking pictures. Its getting cold and I want to munch it now! Did think last nights was ok till I checked this morning. Wipe the bowl - rookie mistake!

Use chicken thigh if possible but this recipe is one I wouldn't mind using breast for as the cooking method makes it less dry. I have always got a bottle of shaohsing wine somewhere so have never tried it with sherry. Oh yes all the gear - No idea !!!

Time taken     30 mins + 30 to marinade
Effort     3.5/5
End result     5/5

He who eats my cooking everyday says it's his favourite

One Pot Spanish Chicken and Rice

There is something very satisfying about cooking a meal that's all in one pot. No side dishes and once it's cooking you can relax with a nice grape juice and just wait to get fed. This is enough to feed the whole family too.

- tbsp olive oil (not extra virgin)
- 8 chicken pieces or a whole chicken jointed (4 legs cut into thighs and drumsticks works well)
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 red pepper deseeded and chopped into large chunks
- 3 cloves of garlic crushed
- 225g chorizo skinned and sliced
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 tbsp of fresh thyme leaves chopped
- 150ml/14 pint white wine
- 850ml/1 1/2 pints chicken stock
- 400g/14oz long grain rice
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley

Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish and brown the chicken on all sides. you may have to do this in batches, then put to one side.

Lower the heat and add the onion and red peppers and cook gently for about 10 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and chorizo and cook for a further 2 minutes until the chorizo has released some of its juices into the dish. Then add the tomato puree and cook for another minute stirring it in.

Return the chicken to the pan along with the thyme wine and finally the stock. Bring to the boil then lower the heat and cook for 30 minutes covered with a tight fitting lid.

Tip in the rice and cook for a further 15 minutes then remove from the heat and leave to sit with the lid on for 10 more minutes so the rice can soak up more of the liquid. Season to taste, sprinkle with the parsley and serve.

Another painfully bad picture I am afraid. It was that grape juice sorry.

I have a mental list of things that life is just to flipping short to be doing and cleaning the bit from a garlic crusher is near the top of it, even my dishwasher can't be bothered. Squash the garlic cloves under the flat side of your knife then chop it up.

I can't see why you couldn't do this dish in 2 stages stopping the cooking after the pot has been boiling for 20 minutes, then once reheating cook for 5 mins before adding the rice and carrying on from there.

Time taken     1 hour 20 mins
Effort     3/5
End result 3.5/5

Butterflied leg of lamb with Lemon, Garlic and Thyme

My love affair with lamb continues and I may consider marrying this one.

The 'experts' warned this would be the last sunny day for a while. Perfect I thought, I can do the charring stage of this recipe on the bbq. The rain started about 6 so I used a griddle pan and can only imagine how nice it would of been with that extra bbq flavour.

Do I win worst blogger if I own up to having to google 'pared' zest? As it happens its strips you peel off with a vegetable peeler, not a grater.  Might try that in my 'Vera Lynn' (gin)

-2.5kg(5 1/2ib) leg of lamb butterflied, I got my butcher to do this for me
-Marinade;-
 -2 large garlic cloves, chopped
 -1 medium - hot red chilli, finely chopped
 -1 tsp rosemary, chopped
 -the leaves from 6 thyme sprigs
 -1 fresh bay leaf, finely chopped
 -3 strips of pared lemon zest
 -juice of half a lemon
 -1 tsp sea salt
 -half tsp of coarsely ground black pepper
 -6 tbsp olive oil (not extra virgin)

Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a shallow roasting tin. Add the lamb, turn it a few times until well coated, turn skin side up, cover and leave in the fridge for at least an hour. Be sure to bring the meat to room temperature before cooking as it will cook more evenly

BBQ or griddle the leg for 5-7 minutes each side until well coloured then transfer to an oven set at 200 C/180 C fan/400 F/gas 6 for 20-25 minutes or, if your a Nervous Neris, until it registers 60 C/140 F on a meat thermometer at the thickest part

Lift the lamb onto a board and let it rest for 5 mins then carve into thick slices. If you've managed not to eat it all whilst carving then serve with anything you fancy. I had chips and salad because I have convinced myself they cancel each other out.

If you are cooking the lamb completely on a bbq - light it 40 minutes before (10 if gas). The lamb has enough fat to cause a few flare ups so keep an eye on it and move it to different parts. Cook for 10- 12 minutes on each side

Time taken     45 mins excluding marinade time
Effort     2/5
End result 4.5/5

If I dare criticise this recipe at all I would of made it with a little more chilli and rosemary. But we loved it and its going in my little black book and most importantly I sneakily tucked a bit in the back of the fridge for sandwiches. GOOD TIMES

I saw Rick Stein making this on tv

Steak sauce madness

Steak, lovely lovely steak. Please tell me shes not gonna try and tell us how to cook steak. Nooooooo!

No I wouldn't dare but I have had a month off posting so having a lazy evening eating steak and sauteed potatoes gave me a twinge of guilt. Now I believe steak is best with a dollop of mustard and probably always will, but when I saw someone make this on the TV it just looked so out there it stuck in my head. The third and probably most inspiring reason is that 'He who is in the dog house', feels cheesy creamy sauce on steak is the stuff of nightmares. Enough said.

You cook your steak as normal, for me medium rare if sauce is involved. Once they are ready and resting add a large piece of blue cheese to the frying pan the steaks were in. I used gogonzola but any one would do, but if a very strong one I would cut the quantity slightly. As it starts to melt down add some double cream ( I didn't weigh but I reckon it was about a 150g of each). Now the sauce is nicely bubbling away add - brace yourself - 1/4 tsp of curry powder. I know, this is so wrong in so many ways. Stir and serve. Don't forget to season.

Time taken     10 mins
Effort     1/5
End result     3/5

3?????? Yeah strange as it may seem it wasn't as bizarre as I thought it might be and a nice change for a Tuesday night teatime. There was a little bit of me wanted to asked the sauce if it was related to coronation chicken, but on the whole - harvester eat you heart out. The major downside was 'He who begged me not to add curry powder' actually liked it. Curses, oh well will try torturing him with anchovies instead.

I didn't make this recipe with the intention of posting it so please excuse the fact that it appears I have thrown the food at the plate from a great distance in the following picture.

Laughing out loud posting that picture - what would Ramsey say

Sweet Ricotta Fritters

This was one of those recipes where the picture draws you in and you can't imagine not trying them (anyone who has read previous posts may have raised an eyebrow, I do mean the original recipe picture and not my ones). The only sweet thing I ever make is eton mess because its delicious but I don't really have a sweet tooth, ignoring the occasional Drifter bar. I was a bit nervous as I very rarely deep fry anything either, but having done it now I am not sure why I thought it would go wrong.

These fritters are almost like little doughnuts but with a surprisingly different taste

- 400g ( 14oz )  fresh ricotta
- 3 free range eggs
- 5 tbsp castor sugar
- finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- a pinch of bicarbonate of soda
- 3 tbsp of sultanas
- 200g ( 7oz ) plain flour
- 500ml ( 18 fl oz ) vegetable oil
- icing sugar for dusting

- Drain any excess moisture from the ricotta and place in a large mixing bowl with the eggs. Beat until smooth
- Add the sugar, lemon zest, bicarbonate of soda, sultanas and flour and stir well to combine the ingredients. Cover with plastic film and rest the dough in the fridge for an hour
- Set out a plate lined with kitchen paper. Heat the oil, testing the heat by dropping a pinch of flour in, if it starts to sizzle its ready
- Scoop some dough into a tablespoon and drop it into the oil. Fry a few at a time depending hoe big your pan is. Once they are golden brown pop them onto the kitchen paper
- Serve piping hot dusted with the icing sugar

I would recommend breaking one of your first ones open to ensure they are not still soft in the middle. I dusted them with the sugar then thought to test them. As it turned out the middle was a little soft hence why the second of the pictures sees them slightly darker as they had sugar on them when they went back in. Somewhere in between is what your looking for. They were perfect regardless of being quite dark and dipping them in the icing sugar scattered around the plate was an afternoon well spent.

Personally I feel these are perfect with friends and a coffee in the afternoon rather than a dessert as they are quite filling. Admittedly I didn't have to eat 5 of them. Hmmm would they be nice with ice-cream I wonder. They are not to sweet and the lemon zest really makes them work so don't forget to put it in.

Time taken     15 mins + 1 hour resting
Effort      1.5/5
End result     3.75/5

Lemon Sole with Brown Butter

I am still on my quest to cook more fish. Years ago I tried a Delia recipe of skate in black butter with capers which was very good but with skate not being fished responsibly these days and with he who doesn't really like fish wincing at the mention of skate, I found a lemon sole recipe.

1 lemon sole fillet per person ( not teaching granny so suck eggs, just being helpful)

- Place a large frying pan over a medium heat and add about 20 g of unsalted butter
- While the butter is melting season a plate of flour with salt and pepper and dip skinless lemon sole fillets in until well coated on both sides. Shake any excess flour from fish
- Once the butter is sizzling add 2 fillets and cook for 30 seconds on both sides. If you are doing more than 2 fillets of place the first 2 on a warm plate and cover with foil to keep warm, wipe pan and repeat process
- When all fish is cooked wipe out the pan and add about 40g of butter and cook for about 30 seconds or until butter is a medium golden brown colour. Add the parsley and stir for a couple of seconds then pour over the fish

- Squeeze some fresh lemon juice over to serve

Time taken      10 mins

Effort     1/5

End result     3.5/5

I did prefer the Delia recipe as I really enjoy the taste and texture of skate, lemon sole is a far more delicate fish. Also love capers and used the salted rather than oiled.

This recipe was from - 'home cooking made easy' tv programme by Lorraine Pascal

Sausage and Fennel Risotto

Risotto - people think of it's tricky don't they, but once you've got the basics its a meal that you can just dig out of the larder on a Sunday night when the shops are shut. Tasty and comforting and when you go to an ok restaurant and think my risotto was better than that your as smug as a dog with 2 tails.

You obviously need a few basics. I always have an onion and some garlic in the house and am never without a bit of parmesan cheese. A box of risotto rice lurking on a shelf and your off. I am not a fan of food snobbery but I have to say no dried parmesan in those little shakers, you can buy a block, whizz it in the processor and put it in a sealed tub in the fridge and it will last ages.

Most of my risottos start the same way by softening the  chopped onions in olive oil until soft and clear but not brown ( I add finely chopped celery with it but its not essential ). Then add some finely chopped garlic for a couple of minutes before adding the rice and stirring for 30 seconds or so until it appears slightly translucent just on the edges. Splash in a glug of white wine or dry vermouth ( which also last ages so well worth keeping a bottle ). Let the alcohol cook off for a few seconds then start adding stock which should be kept at a slight simmer in a separate pan and ladled in a bit at a time. Then you just stir and add stock every minute or so until the rice has just a little bite left. Turn off the heat, add roughly 20g unsalted butter chopped up and a good handful of parmesan, pop a lid on and let it sit for a minute then dish up.

That's the basic recipe and you can let your imagination go wild with what you add to it. As this blog is about trying new recipes I have plumped for Italian sausage and fennel. I have added my basic risotto above as this risotto was a little different so if your more of a garlic mushroom kinda cat then use that one.

Ok so this is what I did
- Instead of celery I cooked 1 finely chopped fennel bulb and 1 finely chopped red chilli with the onions
- Once these were soft I added a clove or crushed garlic and 3 tomatoes seeded and cooked gently for 5 minutes
- Then turned up the heat and crumbled in 5 Italian sausages, breaking up the meat
- This is the stage to add the rice and just follow the basic recipe above
- Don't forget to season

I used soft fresh sausages as opposed to dry ones.

I didn't touch the chilli to my tongue and it happened to be quite strong so try yours and add to taste.

For a nice risotto use good fresh stock. Purist would say always, but if it's just a supper for yourself you could use a cube, but it wouldn't be as nice. If you don't have a job, a child and have a freezer full of chicken carcasses you could even make your own but if the queens not popping over may be over egging the tart a bit.

You can skin the tomatoes, I didn't, bit of skin never hurt anyone.

The end result should be just wet enough to spread on a plate with a little shake but not soupy.

Time taken      40 mins

Effort     3.5/5

End result     4/5

Some risotto ideas I have like

Mushroom - soak dried porcini in boiled water for 10 mins then chop. Add the top half of the mushroom water to stock but watch out for any grit at the bottom. More garlic for this one and can use fresh mushrooms especially wild if you can find some.

Gorgonzola - adding it towards the end of cooking the basic recipe

Pancetta and asparagus

Butternut squash

Roasted cherry tomato

You could go on forever but remember cheese and fish do not really go

He who always clears his plate, finished mine off1

P.s. Just when I thought I may be getting really good at being the worst food blogger ever, I happened upon 'Sandra Lee's Kwanzaa cake' on u tube, and pulled my Macauley Culkin Home Alone face

Dr Pepper Ribs

Do you think that people are either sticky rib or saucy rib people? No reason you couldn't be both or indeed neither. Personally I am a sticky rib girl. In my experience they pack a bit more flavour than the 'sauce everywhere' type. Having said this until I do my 'Man v food', eat my way round the US tour, I am not qualified to discuss what makes ribs great. But for us brits, who's auntie Beril didn't hand down a family recipe, we have to start somewhere. *

This is my first attempt to find the perfect rib recipe and I won't give up, oh no I will not give up till I do! I should resist saying 'whats the worst that can happen' but, well I didn't .

3 small or 2 large pork ribs
1.5 litres Dr Pepper
2 star anise

whole allspice berries

GLAZE-

200 ml DrPepper

6 tbsp soft brow sugar
6 tbsp tomato ketchup
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp ground allspice

This recipe WILL NOT work with diet Dr Pepper - its all about the sugar

- Heat the oven to 160 C/140 C fan/gas 3. Put the ribs flesh side down in a large roasting tin, in a single layer
-Pour over the Dr Pepper, add the spices and pop in the oven for 2 hours
-Put all the glaze ingredients in a saucepan and simmer until thick and syrupy. this took a while so get it going as soon as ribs are in
-Remove the ribs from the oven and pour juice away.
-I had 2 ribs so decided to cook one in the oven and BBQ the other. Turn the oven up to 200 C/180 C fan/gas 6. turn the ribs flesh side up and baste with the glaze. If using the oven roast for 30 minutes and baste again half way through cooking and if barbecuing baste as you turn.


    Kitchen towel at the ready - fingers steady

The different cooking methods produced slightly different results. The oven baked were a little juicier and the barbecued ribs had that charcoal flavour. There wasn't alot in it though. He who likes his meats cooked to the brink of powderisation was all for the barbecued method. I would say that it did give them the edge flavour wise but wanted to used the remaining glaze to dip.

Time taken     2 hours 40 mins
Effort     2/5
End result 3.5/5

* Sorry auntie Beril, you make a banging corned beef hash and you couldn't eat ribs with your dentures anyway, so I apologise ( please don't tell my mum )

Sweet Tomato Chutney

What am I doing making chutney? I'll be joining the WI next.

It was so easy though and if I had planned to make both the chicken tikka and chutney I probably wouldn't of tried this recipe. It just dawned on me that after making the chicken marinade I had enough ingredients left for this. Well I wasn't able to stick exactly to the recipe. I only had white wine vinegar, I had one tin of tomatoes so used some fresh ones as well and a dash of water and finally I had a small box of the babies raisins. I will give you the original recipe.

8 garlic cloves roughly chopped

5 cm (2 inch) piece of ginger roughly chopped

2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes

310ml (1 1/4 cups) clear vinegar

350g (12 oz) jaggery or soft brown sugar
2 tbsp sultanas
2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
chilli powder (optional)

Combine the garlic, ginger and half the tomatoes in a food processor and blend until smooth
Put the remaining tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, sultanas and salt in a large, heavy based saucepan
Bring to the boil then add the garlic and ginger mixture
Reduce the heat and simmer gently for1 1/2 - 2 hours until the mixture is thick enough to fall off the spoon in sheets

Stir and make sure the mixture catch on the base

Add the cayenne pepper and for a hotter chutney add chilli powder

Leave to cool then pour into sterilised jars and store in the fridge

Time taken     10 mins + 2 hrs cooking
Effort     1.5/5
End result     4/5

Chicken Tikka

For thousands of us Brits, weekends would not be complete without Indian food. We love a good curry!!! But the weather is STILL nice, it's been a whole week (hose pipe ban any second now). So with the BBQ giving me a cheeky wink I decided to have both.

I picked a recipe for chilli lamb cutlets, and after filling my trolley with all the fresh ingredients needed, I discovered my local supermarket was lacking one of them - lamb cutlets. Anyway to lazy to go and put everything back I switched up to chicken tikka. It was so easy and seeing as I had the food processor out anyway, I found myself making a sweet tomato chutney as well. I will post that recipe after this one.

Marinade:
1/2 tbsp paprika
1 tsp chilli powder
2 tbsp garam masala (why not make your own, recipe below)
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
4 garlic cloves roughly chopped
5cm (2inch) piece of ginger roughly chopped
15g (1/2 cup) coriander (cilantro)
125ml (1/2 cup) thick plain yoghurt

500g skinless chicken breast cut into cubes

For the marinade, blend all the ingredients together in a food processor until smooth, or chop the garlic, ginger and coriander leaves very finely and mix with the rest of the marinade ingredients. Season to taste
Put the chicken in a bowl with the marinade and mix thoroughly. Cover and marinade overnight in the fridge
Thread the chicken onto metal skewers
As I said I bbq'd them but for the other 51 weeks of the year I would pre heat the oven 200 C (400 F/gas 6) and place skewers on a metal rack above a baking tray. Roast uncovered for 15-20 minutes
Serve with wedges of lemon and traditionally minted yogurt or try my spiced chutney


Hold on to you knickers..... this pic doesn't look like I threw the food across the kitchen.

So ashamed of the lemon wedge bows but I am trying

Time taken     20 mins (excluding marinade time)

Effort     1.5/5

End result     3.75/5

Making your own Garam Masala

The recipe included a method to make garam masala. I was disappointed as I couldn't find my peppercorns so used ready made GM. I would imagine this would give the chicken that pop of flavours and when I make it again I will definitely try this

8 cardamon pods

2 cassia leaves

1 tsp black peppercorns

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp coriander seeds

5cm (2 inch) cinnamon stick

1 tsp cloves

In a spice grinder or pestle and mortar add the seeds from the cardamon pods, the broken up cassia leaves and the remaining spices and grind to a fine powder. this makes 3 tbsp and can be stored in an airtight container

Slow cooked Lamb Shanks

This recipe was made for me by a friend and didn't taste great. We sat there wondering why as the recipe came from a chef with a huge reputation. We came to the conclusion it was all in the timing and possibly the wine (added not consumed). I decided to give it a go myself. It turned out unctuous, rich and tasty. Confession time - I have to admit that due to my determination to get the recipe right this time I did use a good Italian red wine and my best balsamic, it's syrup like, sweet, expensive and now nearly empty! Maybe the recipe would of turned out good anyway but due to the fact that this was a little expensive to make I would save it for special occasions.

Recipe claims serves 6, I used 4 shanks between 2 but we were bursting after

6 small lamb shanks
Plain flour
2 tbsp olive oil
6 red onions sliced
Handful chopped fresh rosemary
4 garlic cloves chopped
175ml balsamic vinegar (best quality affordable)
300ml red wine

Pre heat the oven 200 C ( gas 6)
Dust the shanks with seasoned flour
Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan with a lid and brown the lamb on all sides then remove
Lower the heat, add the onions and cook for 10-15 minutes until light brown
Add the rosemary and garlic and cook for a couple more minutes
Raise the heat and add the vinegar and wine, then reduce for a couple of minutes
Reduce the heat once more and return the shanks to the pan. Cover with moistened grease proof paper and lid ensuring paper sits between pan and lid all the way around to form a seal
Place in the oven for 2-2 1/2 hours. Basting from time to time and ensuring it doesn't get dry (add a touch of water or wine if it does)

This is quite a rich dish. The sauce should not taste of vinegar and be jammy and thick so do taste it before serving. I served with a good old garlic mash potato and some green vegetables. There may have been a glass of wine as well.

Time taken15 mins + cooking
Effort     3/5
end result 5/5

This is a cookbook recipe - The River cafe cookbook - Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers

BBQ Skewers - Spain v France

As we put the baby to bed last night something amazing dawned on us. It was nice enough outside for a BBQ. This may not seem such a big deal to you but in welsh Wales it rains - and rains - and well you get the picture.

All other dinner plans were immediately scrapped and the mission to make something suitable for the BBQ was on but what was in the fridge? I found some chicken thighs and a pork loin, so with some herbs from the garden and store cupboard regulars I found myself pitting 2 nations against each other. (A tad dramatic?). Some may point out they probably don't go together but this was accidental fusion cooking.

The first France with a very simple mustard and vinegar coating

Mix 4 tbsp of olive oil, 4 tbsp of dijon mustard (I like Maille) and 3 tbsp of red wine vinegar
Cut chicken into strips and coat well with the sauce and that's it. If you have time to marinade so be it but it is ready to go any time.

The second Spain and a little more effort with Pinchitos Morunos

Cut the pork fillet lenthways down the middle and then into 3 cm pieces
Flatten them out slightly and place in a large bowl and add.......
1/2 heaped teaspoon each of coriander seeds, cumin seeds and fennel seeds all roughly ground in a morter and pestle
1 tsp of sweet smoked Spanish paprika
A good pinch of saffron infused in 2 tbsp of boiling water
1 tsp of dried oregano
1 bay leaf chopped very finely
2 garlic cloves crushed to a paste with a little salt
1 dessert spoon of red wine vinegar

Mix well then add a dessert spoon of olive oil and mix again
Leave in the fridge for 2 hours to marinade

Both meats were threaded into soaked wooden skewers and cooked over very hot coals so they were nicely coloured with being dry in the middle. Don't forget to season
Served with a tomato, red onion and parsley salad with sherry vinegar dressing and some nice bread

Both these recipes can be easily cooked indoors. With the chicken and mustard I would not cut the chicken into such small strips and place it under the grill in a baking dish turning half way through cooking with maybe a cheeky baste of the sauce.
The pork skewers I would use a very hot griddle pan but the grill would be fine too.

Who won???

France did it for me

VICTOIRE!!!

I love Aubergine Parmigiana

I love it so much, in my mind its doesn't register as a vegetarian dish. Its just a pleasure to eat.

I have attempted to make it a few times in the past, based on the fact I have a general idea how its put together and have had varying levels of success. this is probably due to me doing it a little differently every time. I have, as is the point of this blog found a recipe to try, and I must say I was not disappointed.

200ml olive oil
2 garlic cloves crushed
2 x 400g tins of plum tomatoes
a pinch of sugar
4 aubergines
3 x balls of buffalo mozzarella drained and sliced
1 pack of basil leaves
150g freshly grated parmesan

I must add that I used 1 tin of tomatoes and one carton of blended tomatoes with olive oil that you can get in supermarkets now just in case results are different with original recipe

Put 2 tbsp oil in a pan over a low heat and add onion and garlic. Cook for 8 -10 minutes until soft not coloured
Add tomatoes and 200ml of water and simmer down for 30 mins breaking whole tomatoes up with a wooden spoon. Taste and add sugar if required
I whizzed it in the food processor to ensure no lumps
Cut the aubergines lenthways into 5 mm slices, sprinkle with salt and leave for 10 minutes. Pat dry with kitchen paper
Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and shallow fry the aubergines in batches until light golden on both sides, adding more oil if needed. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper
Preheat the oven to160 C gas mark 3
Spoon 3rd of the sauce into a oven proof dish, then a layer of aubergines slightly overlapping, a layer of mozzarella, a few basil leaves and a sprinkling of parmesan. Repeat twice seasoning well between each layer, finishing with a layer of aubergine and the remaining cheese
Cook on a baking tray in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour until a lovely bubbly crust has formed

I know sometimes when you read a recipe with a few fiddly bits it can put you off trying it but this is worth the effort and not really difficult

This can be assembled and chilled in advance. Bring it to room temperature before popping in the oven

Time taken     approx 2 hrs
Effort     3.5/5
End result     4.5/5     YUMMERS

Ragu

I was brought up on my mams spag bol and have been to restaurants and eaten more authentic ragus made with shoulder of lamb or similar. These were delicious but I also still love the British version made with mince meat so when I saw this recipe I thought it may be the perfect happy medium..

WHAT NO MUSHROOMS

4 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions chopped
8 cloves garlic chopped
1/4 tsp crushed dried chilli
1 tbsp vegetable oil
500g beef mince  (not lean)
460g pork mince
6 rashers streaky bacon chopped
110g tomato puree
370ml red wine ( full bodied cab sauvignon or Shiraz)
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
pinch of caster sugar
225g ( approx 1) chicken liver pureed
Basil

Preheat oven to gas mark 1
Have a large oven proof dish off the heat ( shall call it pot from now on)
In frying pan cook onion, garlic and chilli in veg oil gently until soft then tip into cool pot
Add beef to frying pan and break up meat frying for approx 7 mins then add to pot
Repeat with pork
Add bacon to frying pan for 2 mins then add tomato puree for approx 2 mins until the aroma of roast tomatoes hits you then add red wine and reduce by 1/3 scraping bottom of pan.
Add to pot with tinned tomatoes and chicken liver
Bring the pot to the boil then place in the centre of the oven uncovered for 4 hrs stirring 3-4 times during cooking
Once ready season with salt pepper and sugar and add basil

If freezing remove that amount before adding basil and add fresh once defrosted

You could also add a little freshly ground nutmeg or even a touch of cinnamon

Please try and add the liver even if you are not a fan as it added a richness to the sauce and your not aware its in there

It is a bit of effort when your preparing it, mainly breaking the meat up, but the beauty of it is you can then just forget about it before serving other than to just cook a bit of pasta. Plus very little chopping

It could easily be adjusted to a slow cooker recipe and great for lasagna

Time taken before oven 30mins
Effort     3/5
End result     4.5/5

Marinaded Poussin

A very tasty take on roast chicken and great for a family dinner. Who doesn't like a bit of roast chicken.

You can do 1/2 or a whole poussin per person depending if your as big an eater as I am.

Spatchcock the birds by cuting either side of the backbone and flattening it out.

Place in a bowl with some finely cut chives, thyme and the recipe said sage but I didn't have and as was using the herbs I have growing out back so used a bit of rosemary instead, lemon zest, chilli flakes, ground black pepper and a good glug of olive oil (regular not extra virgin).

Get you hands in there and coat the birds then leave to marinade.

Get a griddle pan nice and hot and give the birds 2 minutes each side until nicely browned then pop in the oven at 200 C for about 15 minutes.

I served this with garlic and rosemary potatoes. They went together like Saint and Greivesy.

Chop the spuds into same size cubes then boil until just cooked. Then drain and cool.

Get some regular olive oil good and hot in a frying pan, throw in some sprigs of rosemary and Half a bulb of garlic cut through the middle skin and all.

Season with sea salt pepper and a little aromat if you have it and fry until crisp and golden.

Make sure the oil is hot or they will be mushy not crisp.

Time taken     40 mins not including marinating time
Effort     2.5/5
End result    4/5

So simple chilli pasta

I saw this on a tv programme and it was so simple I didn't even bother writing it down. Am I lazy blogging such a basic recipe. maybe so but today spent 4 hrs looking for an evening gown for friday and could sleep on a chickens lip by tea time.

Chop a red chilli reasonabley finely

Cover the bottem of a frying pan with extra virgin olive oil, ( a good one) and add the chilli

In a seperate pan start boiling some pasta in salted water. Long is best - spagetti, linguine etc

Whilst the pasta is cooking turn the heat on under the oil and chilli. be very careful not to let the oil heat up to much as it will burn. as soon as you see a few tiny bubbles forming turn the heat of and let the chilli infuse

Just before the pasta is ready slightly heat the oil again then switch off. Add the pasta to the oil with tongs so that a very small amount of cooking water is taken but not much. Toss all together and serve.

No parmesan is required!!!

If you put to much oil in it could end up a bit greasy at the end

Time taken     15 minutes
Effort     1/5
End result 3.5/5

Its such a simple dish I couldn't give it a higher score but its really tasty and will make it a regular simple supper

Piedmontese Peppers

I took a break form cooking new recipes last night and made one of my old favourites. Thought I could still add it. It's something I finish only to want to eat it all over again.

Ingredients are per person:

1 red pepper
2 ripe plum tomatos
1 clove of garlic sliced thinly
2 tinned anchovies
Plus salt pepper and extra virgin olive oil

Heat the oven to 190 c (170 c fan)
Cut the peppers in half lengthways leaving the stalk intact and remove the seeds
Skin and core the tomatoes, then cut into quarters
Place slices of garlic into the pepper halves then the tomatos and push them in to the corners a bit
Season and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for about an hour
Cross with a couple of anchovies and if their are any juices don't waste them, pour them over

Time taken     1hr 15 min
Effort     1.5/5
End result     4.5/5

Apologies couldn't find phone so no picture

Roasted pork belly with fennel seeds

I always think pork belly is underestimated, Its inexpensive and full of flavour. Last night I tried my best to create the perfect piece of pork.

1 -1.5 kg free range belly pork on the ribs
2 cloves of garlic crushed with a pinch of salt
1 tbsp ground fennel seeds
1 tbsp olive oil
150ml fino sherry or white wine

Mix the garlic with the fennel seeds and rub all over the flesh side of the pork.
Place on a large board skin side up, and dry the skin thoroughly.
Generously sprinkle with fine sea salt (about 1 tbsp) all over the scored skin. Leave for half an hour then dust off the excess salt.
Preheat the oven to 230 c/ gas 8
Tranfer the pork to a large roasting tin greased with the olive oil and place in the hot oven on the top shelf, roast for 30 mins till hard crackling has formed then turn the oven down to 190 c/gas 5.
Transfer the pork to a clean roasting tin and roast for 2 - 2 1/2 hours.
Remove from the oven and rest covered in foil for 15 minutes.
Make the gravy:
Pour off excess oil and place tray over a low to medium heat, deglase with the sherry scraping the bits off the bottom as you go.Simmer for a couple of minutes to reduce the alcohol then taste for seasoning. If its strong add a little water. Serve over pork

I know, I know - work on the presentation!!!

I cut the ribs off before carving and they were stunning to nibble on. Because the pork is cooked on the bone there was no chewy bottom to the meat and it was perfect.

Only problem I had is that even though I followed all instructions for the crackling and had the oven as high as it would go not all the fat crisped up. Maybe this is because I used the fan oven and should of just used the ordinary ovenso the heat was all at the top of the oven.

Total time     2hrs 45
Difficulty level     2.5/5
End result     3.5/5

This is a cookbook recipe - Moro - Sam and Sam Clark

Must try chicken kebab

Saturday night in and I couldn't resist trying a kebab recipe that I saw a while ago on tv. I loved the idea but knew the recipe was pushing myself taste wise as cinnamon would be my food hell!

Please don't be put off trying this recipe if your not a fan of cinnamon as although it reads very heavy on the spice the resulting taste was delicious.

I made this as a greedy portion for 2 but the recipe would be just as simple for 10 people and with very little work great for friends as you would not spend ages cooking. Most of all though this was so much FUN to make, to serve and to eat.

For the marinade:

4 cloves of garlic
1 lemon, juice only
4 tbsp olive oil
1/2 heaped tablespoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 heaped tbsp ground allspice
pinch cayenne pepper
boneless, skinless chicken thighs ( 6 - 12 depending how many are eating

Crush the garlic with 2 tsp of sea salt and a pinch of black pepper in a pestle and morter. Stir in the lemon juice, olive oil and spices. pour over the chicken and coat well. Leave at least an hour or even overnight.

Pre heat the oven to 160 c/ 140 c fan / gas 3. fold the chicken thighs in half and tread widthways onto 2 skewers, leaving a 3cm gap between each skewer. repeat with all chicken until you form a solid kebab.

Place kebab on a hot griddle pan and sear on each side. Transfer to a baking tray and finish in the oven for 45 - 50 minutes, turning halfway.

To serve stand the kebab on a chopping board point end down and slice off the meat with a sharp knife. serve in warmed flatbreads or pittas with shredded iceberg lettice, sliced cucumber and red onion. I used Franks chilli and lime sauce and also some greek yogurt that I'd crushed a clove of garlic into. You could even get some pickled chillies if your a purist.

The original recipe called for 1 tbsp of both cinnamon and allspice so I'll leave that up to you. I wouldn't use chicken breast for this as it might be to dry.

Time taken     5 mins for marinade + 1 hour
Difficulty level     2/5
End result     4/5

I will be making this again. Him indoors commented I had captured the authentic flavour and he loved it. Please try this it very worth it

Thai Chicken with Chilli and Basil

Friday night and the perisher is fast asleep. Large glass of rioja in hand and I want a takeaway. But it's been two days since I started blogging the recipes I try and I can't have a night off already. I probably should of called this blog 'cooking whilst drunk'!

I am aware I should start posting pictures of the dishes so will fish my camera out. Oh dear best think about presentation too. Ok so the recipe......

- 4 cloves of garlic crushed
- 1to3 long red chillies roughly chopped
- 1to3 birds eye chillies roughly chopped
- 4 tbsp oil
- 350g chicken finely sliced
- 3 tbsp chicken stock
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tsp caster sugar
- 2 handfuls of thai basil leaves

- Using a mortar and pestle pound the garlic and all chillies into a paste
-Heat the oil in a wok and fry the paste for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
-Toss in the chicken and stir fry for 1-2 minutes
-Add stock, soy sauces, sugar and a pinch of salt and cook for 2 minutes
-Finally the basil and cook for 30 more seconds then serve with fluffy white rice

I am very aware that both my photography and more so my presentation is shocking. I will work on it. I am actually laughing out load that I have even added this photo. Please don't be put off trying it. It tastes far better than this picture makes it look.

My new rating system

Total time taken     30 mins

Difficulty after a glass of wine 2/5

End result     4/5

It was really tasty and would definitely make it again when I am lucky enough to happen upon more thai basil.

RECIPE CSI DOES NOT RECOMMEND COOKING WHEN DRUNK AT HOME. LEAVE TO THE PROFESSIONALS

I used 3 of each chilli as I like spice but obviously if your not a chilli fan use 1 of each. Also I used chicken thigh as I feel it has more flavour but this type of quick cooking would work as well with breast. I did use a good supermarket stock, the ready made pots in the meat aisle but I will add the stock recipe for this dish just in case.

Boil 2kg chicken carcasses, 2 slices fresh ginger, 2 spring onions chopped and 3 L of water and simmer for 2 1/2 hours