Meal Thirty Five - Stir Fried Beef with Hoisin Sauce and Noodles

Back to basics using the ingredients I'd already got to hand, it's my first stir fry in years.
Usually associated with dieting, certainly in my case, they're very often a dish I've steered clear of.

The steak I'd bought over the weekend was ideal for this recipe as it was a little thin so by packing it out with some crunchy veg and some meaty mushrooms, it made quite a wholesome meal.

The classic combo of ginger, garlic and soy sauce brings this dish together nicely and the hoisin sauce, though fragrant, really works. A nice week night tea.

Methods for the most recent recipes to follow as the PC is playing up at the moment. X

Meal Thirty Four - Sirloin Steak with Beer Battered Onion Rings and Crunchy Fries

Nice easy tea tonight. Gone for the steak and chips option.
We have a retailer near us called "The Meat Man" and he sells good quality meat at an affordable price.

I picked some sirloin steak up yesterday along with a punnet of mushrooms with the intention of doing it for a blokes tea while the good wife went away to see some friends but I never got around to it.
Instead, Sam came back early today and we decided to have it for tea tonight.

You can't beat a good steak, especially when it's served up with mushrooms, onion rings, chips and peas! A classic tasty combination!

Meal Thirty Three - Spicy Chicken Wraps (Fajitas)

Sam and I popped into town for a coffee, and just to get out the house, after this miserable Bank Holiday, but after a distinctly average drink at the local coffee shop and finding out that not much in town was open, we decided to come home a little peckish.

A quick trip to Sainsburys across the road and we grabbed some vitals. We saw some tortilla wraps on offer and instantly I thought of a dish that would warm us up.

Ingredients:

6 chicken thigh fillets, thinly sliced

1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced

1 green pepper, thinly sliced

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1 red chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped

6 spring onions, very finely chopped

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp easy garlic in white wine vinegar

1/2 carton chopped tomatoes with garlic, olive oil and herbs

a bunch of flat leafed parsley, roughly chopped

a small punch of coriander, roughly chopped

olive oil

lettuce

guacamole

sour cream

cheddar cheese

tortilla wraps

Method:

1. Add the strips of chicken to a mixing bowl and add the chilli, garlic, paprika, cayenne pepper, worcestershire sauce, tobasco sauce and both chopped herbs then mix thoroughly. Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

2. Add a splash of olive oil to a pan and bring up to heat. Add the red and green peppers and the onion and then fry for about 5 minutes.

3. Add the chicken mixture to the pan and fry off for about 10 - 15 minutes before adding the chopped tomatoes. Saute off for another 10 - 15 minutes

4. Lay a tortilla wrap on a flat surface and add a spoon of the chicken mix. Sprinkle with some lettuce and cheese then smooth over a spoon of guacamole and sour cream. Roll the wrap and tuck up into a pocket shape. Serve.

Meal Thirty Two - Baked Chicken and Tomato

I didn't have the intention of doing another dish on the pub night, but after opening up the pack of chicken for the Chicken & Bacon dish, I noticed that the expiry date was the day before, and I didn't fancy waiting another day on top before cooking.

Not unlike the previous dish, I didn't really have the time for messing around, so wanted to do something where I could just assemble and leave in the oven whilst I got ready.

I was very pleased with the outcome of this dish and it incorporated some of the ingredients that I'd used with the steak tartare.

I'm glad I cooked another dish, as by the time I got back from the pub later on, it was a much better option to tuck into that a greasy burger or pizza!

Ingredients:

4 chicken thigh fillets

1/2 carton of chopped tomatoes with garlic, onion and herbs

2 pickled gherkins, finely sliced

6-8 cherry tomatoes, halved

6 anchovy fillets

handful of fresh basil

125ml rose wine

olive oil

Method:

1. Remove the basil storks, tear the leaves and place into an ovenproof dish.

2. Add the sliced gherkin and anchovy fillets with a touch of olive oil. Add the halved tomatoes, chopped tomatoes and herbs, chicken fillets and the wine then spoon over a bit more olive oil.

3. Pop into the oven for 10 minutes, then stir the ingredients and ensure that the chicken thighs are now covered with the sauce. Bake for another 10-15 minutes then serve.

Meal Thirty One - Chicken and Bacon

I was due to go out to the pub and thought I'd best line my stomach before having a "drinkypoohs", but as I didn't have any bread in the house, I thought I'd better raid the fridge.

I had the usual bacon, chicken and some herbs and didn't really want to spend an eternity on the hob so quickly threw together this dish.

This dish is so simple but still has enough flavour in there to make you think you've spent some quality time on it.

Ingredients:

2 chicken thigh fillets

2 rashers of smoked bacon

4 cherry tomatoes, halved

6 basil leaves

2 slices of mozzarella cheese (or a spoon of cream cheese will do)

Method:

1. Open up the chicken thigh fillets and lay on a flat surface over the top of a rasher of bacon. Place one basil leaf in the chicken and pop a slice of mozzarella on top. Place a couple of the tomato halves on the cheese and then place another basil leaf on top.

2. Roll the chicken up and take care in not allowing the inner ingredients to fall out. Tuck the bacon rasher ends underneath which will stop the fillet opening up in the oven.

3. Pop into an ovenproof dish and place into a pre-heated oven (170 deg. celsius) for approximately 20 minutes.

4. Serve with salad or a side dish of your choice. (Mashed potatoes and a chicken gravy goes down very well!)

Meal Thirty - Steak Tartare avec Frites

Well tonight I'm a third of the way through my blog so I thought I'd celebrate by cooking an absolute classic - Steak Tartare avec Frites!
I use the term "cooking" loosely, as foodies alike will already know that this dish is raw.

I've had this dish once before in an authentic Parisian bistro and it was absolutely beautiful. The flavours were strong yet delicate and as each mouthful passed, it got better and better.

So tonight I try to recreate the experience that I will never forget. Failure will have to fall on Simon Rimmer's (of TV fame) shoulders as I have used his adaptation. A couple of differences against the traditional method are that his recipe uses red onion rather than shallots and he instructs the cook to mix the egg rather than have it plonked on top of the raw pattie.

So, voila, the meal is done. Simon - it's spot on. The flavours take me right back to fair Paris.
Steak Tartare isn't everyone's cup of tea but for me, being a fan of rare steak, this really is a special dish.


Mr Rimmer? Merci beaucoup!

Ingredients:

2 x 175g aged beef fillet steaks

2 free-range egg yolks

1 lemon, juice only

100ml extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 gherkins, very finely diced

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 red onion, very finely diced

2 salted anchovy fillets, rinsed drained, very finely chopped

French fries, to serve

Method:

1. Using a very sharp knife, slice the steak into thin slices, then cut across the slices to created strips of meat.

2. Turn the strips of steak and cut across again into tiny cubes. Place into a bowl.

3. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks in a bowl. Add the lemon juice, olive oil and Worcestershire sauce and whisk well to combine.

4. Add the steak pieces to the dressing along with the gherkins, mustard, red onion and anchovies. Stir well to combine and season well with salt and black pepper.

5. To serve, place a 10cm/4" chefs' ring onto each of two plates. Spoon equal quantities of the tartare mixture into the rings and press down into the edges.

6. Remove the rings and serve with French fries alongside.

Meal Twenty Nine - Gino's Spicy Prawn Linguine with Garlic, Tomato & Herbs

Last meal of the night, I promise!

I fancied some pasta, as I've not had it for a while and after performing my usual Google search for some ingredients I had in the fridge, it came back with Gino D'Acampo's linguine dish.

This is very quick dish, but has a cracking taste to it. I'd have to say by using the right wine (Italian Pinot Grigio) this is a bloody lovely dish. Not too overpowering as it's a only a pinch of chilli - but still enough in there to say, "yeah....that's chilli!"

The wife thoroughly enjoyed this one and I had to serve her a second portion! (Steady!)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

3 garlic gloves, crushed

1 pinch of chilli flakes (or 2 ;)  )

4 tiger prawns (or king prawns if not available)

6 cherry tomatoes, halved

50ml white wine (Pinot Grigio in my case)

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

1/2 lemon, juice only

150g linguine, cooked according to packet instructions (tonight - 6 mins in boiling salted water)

Method:

1. Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes, or until softened, then add the chilli flakes and prawns. Cook until the prawns have turned pink and are just cooked through.

2. Add the tomatoes and wine and cook for 2-3 minutes, then stir in the herbs and lemon juice. Add the cooked linguine and stir well to coat.

3. Pile the linguine onto a plate and serve.

Meal Twenty Eight - Cream of Spinach Soup

This one is a favourite of mine, that as I'm trawling through the soup recipe book, I feel I have to share with you.

I'm not the world's biggest fan of coconut - but this works. It seems to blend perfectly with the iron rich spinach and best of all, this is possibly the easiest soup of the 400!

The recipe asks for 50ml of coconut cream. Ignore it, use practically the entire carton and it still won't overpower the dish. This balanced with the right amount of salt and good grinding of black pepper will have you going back for seconds.

Ingredients:

25g butter

1 small onion, chopped

675g fresh spinach, chopped

2 pints vegetable stock or bouillon

50ml coconut cream (adjust to taste - I go for the full 250ml)

freshly grated nutmeg

250ml single cream

salt and ground black pepper

fresh chopped chives to garnish (if available)

Method:

1. Melt the butter in a pan over a moderate heat and sauté the onion for a few minutes until soft. Add the spinach, cover the pan and gently cook for approximately 10 minutes until the spinach has wilted and reduced.

2. Pour the spinach mixture into a blender or food processor and add a little of the hot stock. Blend until smooth.

3. Return the mixture to the pan and add the coconut cream, with salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. Simmer for 15 minutes to thicken.

4. Add the single cream to the pan and heat through being careful not to boil. Serve hot, garnished with the chives.

5. Add a dollop of crème fraiche in the middle of the bowl and stir through for a nice little effect.

Meal Twenty Seven - Black Eyed Bean and Tomato Broth

This is the first of a couple of soup dishes from my trusty "400 Soups" recipe book. Packed full of flavour, it's quite easily a hearty meal on it's own and doesn't leave you panging for a main course.

It had a touch too much coriander for my liking, which says a lot as I love coriander! I'd probably reduce the amount by half next time in order not to overpower the dish.

Again, with this dish, it's worth keeping on the stove for a little while longer than stated in order for the sauce to really thicken up and gather some extra flavour. (You can always a touch more stock and reduce down again!)

Ingredients:

400g can of black-eyed beans, drained and rinsed

1 tbsp olive oil

2 onions, chopped

4 garlic gloves, chopped

1 large red chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground turmeric

250g canned tomatoes, diced

1 pint chicken or vegetable stock

25g fresh coriander, roughly chopped

juice of 1/2 lemon

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a pan, add the onions, garlic and chilli and cook for 5 minutes or until the onion is soft.

2. Stir in the cumin, turmeric, tomatoes, stock, half the coriander and the beans, and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

3. After the 30 minutes stir in the lemon juice and remaining coriander.

4. Serve immediately with some crusty bread.

Meal Twenty Six - Nathan's Three Bean Chilli

This was meant to be a vegetarian dish, and with the removal of the bacon and chorizo, could quite easily be the meatiest - meat free chilli you'll taste.

I had some bacon that needed using up, so that went in along with some mushrooms to bulk up the dish.

It packs a punch and I'm definitely going back to this dish once the blog is over. It's probably the most flavoursome dish I've come across so far.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 large carrot, diced finely

2 large celery sticks, diced finely

6-7 rashers of smoked bacon, diced

1/2 ring of Spanish chorizo, cubed

1 large red pepper, finely diced

1/2 punnet of button mushrooms, sliced

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 large clove of garlic, crushed

1 tbsp sundried tomato puree

1 large red chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp smoked paprika

couple of glasses of tempranillo red wine

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp worcester sauce

400g chopped tomatoes

400g can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

400g can aduki beans, drained and rinsed

400g can black eyed beans, drained and rinsed

Method:

1. Add the chopped bacon to a pan with the vegetable oil and fry for a couple of minutes then add the chorizo. Fry for a couple of more minutes until the oil from the sausage begins to run. Add the carrot, celery, red pepper, onion and garlic and stir continuously for a good 5 minutes.

2. Add the chilli, tomato puree, mushrooms, bay leaf and stir for a couple of minutes. Add the spices (cinnamon, cumin and paprika) and stir through to coat the ingredients then add the wine, soy sauce, worcester sauce and tomatoes.

3. Simmer for about 10 minutes then add the three types of beans. Simmer for a further 30 minutes. If you feel it's a little dry, add a touch more wine! (The longer you leave this on the stove the more time the flavours have to infuse and trust me - it tastes awesome!)

4. Serve with a hot, buttered jacket potato, some lettuce and a dollop of sour cream.

Nathan's Apple Crumble

I bought some Bramley apples the other day with the intention of making a crumble. So I made one.

There's something a little bit homely about and apple crumble. The sort of dish that warms you through to the bones.

I think to make a crumble work, you have to use brown sugar with a little bit of added spice.

I think if Glade could ever bottle this fragrance, then it'd be a sure-fire Christmas best seller. 

Ingredients:

For the crumble:

300g plain flour, sieved

200g unsalted butter, cubed

175g dark brown sugar

For the filling:

4-5 Bramley apples

3-4 tbsps caster sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

a couple of drops of vanilla essence

a dash of grated nutmeg

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170 deg. celsius. Cut the Bramley apples into large chunks. Add a couple of knobs of butter to a non-stick pan, and add the apples. Stir the apples coating with the melted butter. Add the vanilla essence, nutmeg, cinnamon and caster sugar.

2. Keep stirring until the apples begin to break down. Set aside to cool once the apples have begun to go a little mushy on the outside, but still firm on the inside.

3. Sieve the flour into a mixing bowl and add the brown sugar. Add the butter and rub together into a breadcrumb like texture. (Alternatively put all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until you get the same consistency.

4. Pour the apple filling into an oven proof dish and then cover with the crumble mix.

5. Pop into the oven and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes or until the crumble begins to go golden brown.

6. Serve with a little whipping cream and some vanilla ice cream.

Meal Twenty Five - Louisiana Rice

Hello again strangers!

Firstly apologies for not posting for such a long time, but as mentioned previously, my work load has significantly increased and I've obviously had to prioritise. Unfortunately the blog has taken a humble second place, but after all - my day job is the one that pays the bills!

I suppose a question that some people may ask is; "What have you been eating if you've not been posting different meals to your blog?"

The answer to that; all sorts, but honestly nothing worth documenting. Would people be interested in chicken kievs with beans and salad or Jacket Potatoes and tuna? Do I need to document 3 consecutive days of Beef Bourguignon? Would people think any less of me as I caved in to a House Fried Rice from the local Chinese?

Well I'm back. In fits and starts no doubt, so I'm afraid the original plan has changed, and although I'm more than a quarter of my way through the 90 meals, I'm well behind on days with no chance of catching up. So I'm sorry. So very sorry.

Apology accepted? Good. Let's move on to tonight's dish; Louisiana Rice.

This was another recipe from my "1000 Dishes" cookbook. A bit of research on t'internet leads me to believe that it is also called "Dirty Rice". A less appealing title for a recipe I think you'll agree?

Louisiana falls within the States that have a lot of Cajun influence, so I knew that this dish would pack a punch.

This was a risky dish to try out. Not for myself as such, but for my good wife, as she has an intense dislike for one of the ingredients - liver! So, of course I told her that it was in the recipe, didn't I?....Alas, I forgot?!

I thought I might listen to her thoughts after she was halfway through the dish and in honesty, I was pleasantly surprised by her response. Although initially horrified that it contained liver, she really enjoyed the dish and promptly scoffed down the second half. (Do women scoff or is it just Sam?)

This meal can be eaten as a main dish, but after a long day at work I really needed a second portion as did my other half, and she's not a big eater.

I would therefore recommend that this be an accompaniment to another dish. Maybe some enchiladas or another spicy dish.

Ingredients:

4 tbsp vegetable oil (olive oil works just as well)

250g minced pork

250g chopped chicken liver

1 onion, finely chopped

1 green pepper, finely diced

2 celery sticks, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

125g long grain rice

450ml chicken stock

Method:

Method to follow. X

Meal Twenty Four - Slow Cooked Beef Bourguignon

This recipe was my first go with our slow cooker. Sam has used it before for a beautiful buttered chicken curry, but this was my first attempt.

For those who have never used one - get one! They're so easy to use, as my method below shows!

The flavours were superb and the gravy just appears from nowhere. To begin with the sauce, before you put the mixture in the slow cooker, looks rather anaemic and weak, but after 8 hours you end up with a beautifully rich gravy that's taken on all the flavours of the meat, peppers and shallots.

I'll definitely be using it again and it may well make an appearance in the coming weeks. You can literally put your ingredients in in the morning, then your dinner is done for you when you walk in at night. A very useful tool!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup plain flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

2lbs stewing steak

4 rashers smoked bacon, cubed

4 knobs butter

1 onion, chopped finely

1 red pepper, diced

3 garlic gloves, finely diced

1lb baby button mushrooms

1lb shallots

4 carrots, peeled and finely diced

2 glasses of red wine

2 bay leaves

a handful of fresh flat leafed parsley

1 tsp dried thyme

Method:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt and black pepper. Coat the meat in the mixture.

2. Dry fry the bacon in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium to high heat. Add a couple of knobs of butter.

3. Add the meat and brown well on all sides.

4. Add the chopped onion, shallots, carrots, mushrooms, red pepper and garlic. Saute for about 10 minutes or until the chopped onion is soft.

5. Add the wine, bay leaves, parsley and thyme and continue to cook for a few minutes.

6. Transfer the ingredients to a slow cooker (mine is 3.5 litres) and cook on low for 6-8 hours. ( A long time but well worth it!!)

7. When ready, garnish with more fresh parsley and serve with crusty French bread.

Meal Twenty Three - Nathan's Fully Loaded Skins

I can only apologise to those who have been following my blog. There has been  a bit of inactivity of late as work commitments have taken preference.

I'm still going to cover the 90 dishes, but I'll just have to play a bit of catch up every now and again.

Today I've gone for some loaded potato skins. Tasty and filling. Two vital parts of a meal.

Sam bought me some baking potatoes from our local greengrocers - Covent Garden and I've been meaning to use them for a while.
After a visit from my Mum today, whilst in the middle of doing this dish, I had to show her the size of these potatoes. They were huge! About the size of one of my shoes, and I'm sure my friend Eddie can vouch for me, that my shoes are large and cumbersome! (He's been "safeguarding" a pair of clown shoes for me at his house for ages now.)

My Mum's comment was, "Back in my day, they'd be thrown for cow potatoes!"

She's right though, some of larger potatoes would have gone for stock feed, but we've had such a poor couple of years, weather-wise, that we're eating absolutely everything at the moment. Some of the regular sized potatoes have doubled in price. So all in in all, beggars can't be choosers.

Ingredients:

3 large potatoes

4-5 rashers of smoked bacon, cubed

4-5 spring onions, roughly chopped

2 knobs of butter

1/2 pot of creamed cheese

handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped

handful of grated mozzarella

handful of grated Parmesan cheese

Method:

1. Pop the potatoes in a pre-heated oven (approx. 180 deg. Celsius) and depending on size, bake for a couple of hours. (or until you think they're ready.)

2. Dry fry the bacon until golden, then add the spring onions along with the butter and continue to fry for a couple of minutes or until the onions begin to take on colour.

3. Once the potatoes are ready, cut on half and scoop out the flesh into a large bowl without damaging the skins. Return the skins to the oven for another 10 minutes to allow the skins to crisp up.

4. Mash the flesh of the potatoes to remove any lumps, then add the cooked bacon, spring onions, melted butter/fat, creamed cheese and parsley. Mix together until the creamed cheese has dispersed throughout.

5. Take the skins out of the oven, and add the filling. Pop the skins onto an oven proof baking tray, and then sprinkle liberally with the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

6. Return to the oven for another 20-25 minutes or until golden.

7. Serve with salad of choice.

Meal Twenty Two - Nathan's Roasted Red Pepper Risotto

No recipe books tonight. No experiences to recall. Just good old fashioned experimentation.

The pennies are getting a little tight this month and over the past few meals, I've spent a bloody fortune, so I thought tonight was the night to rein in and get back to basics.

This dish offers a lot of flavour with the chosen ingredients. Ingredients chosen as I had them available to me and they were just waiting to be used. Whether a risotto was their preferred destination remains to be seen.

The dish has all the basics of a risotto; arborio rice, onion, white wine and vegetable stock. The remainder of the ingredients are just classic combinations that simply work.

Once again I used my new paella pan. It's definitely my pan of choice at the moment, until it gets usurped by a slightly larger frying pan. (I don't seem to be having much luck with these at the moment!)

Risotto is Italian by origin but there is certainly a Spanish flavour going on here, so maybe the paella pan is apt.

In reflection, I'm very pleased with the outcome. There are two things I regret; using a cheap chorizo sausage (Sainsburys own brand) and not adding a knob of butter at the end to give the dish a lovely gloss.

Ingredients:

2 red peppers

1/2 large onion, finely chopped

1/2 ring chorizo sausage, diced

1 red pepper, de-seeded and chopped

1 garlic glove, finely chopped

2 handfuls arborio rice

400ml bouillon or vegetable stock

250ml Italian white wine (Frascati)

2 tbsp dry Vermouth

olive oil

Parmesan cheese

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 deg. celsius. Cut the peppers in half, de-seed and take out the bitter white skin then quarter, place on a baking tray and cover in olive oil. Pop in the oven and roast for a good 20 minutes or so until the fringes begin to blacken.

2. Add the chopped chilli and garlic to a cup and cover in oil.

3. Once the roasted peppers are ready, drain the oil and add to a hot frying pan (or in my case - paella pan). Add the chopped onions and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the chorizo and fry until the oil begins to run red with blood (or indeed, the pimonton...). Finally add the garlic and chilli in the oil and fry for another minute or so.

4. Add the rice and ensure it's coated with the oil. Fry off for a good couple of minutes. Add the wine and Vermouth and give it time to bubble off the alcohol. 

5. Once the wine liquid has virtually disappeared, begin to add the vegetable stock ladle by ladle. With a couple of ladles of stock left, quickly chop the roasted peppers into strips or cubes and add to the risotto. Add the remaining stock and test your rice. (It needs a slight bite to it)

6. Grate some parmesan cheese (a large handful) and add to the risotto, along with a smattering of cracked black pepper and salt to taste.

TIP:

KEEP STIRRING THROUGHOUT!! It might seem a lot of work, but a great risotto needs movement 100% of the time!

Meal Twenty One - Chicken & Leek Pie

I asked Sam whether there was anything that she particularly wanted to eat and her first suggestion was chicken pie.

I've made chicken pies in the past and they have been tasty, but I wanted to try someone else's recipe to see what else was out there.

Today I opted to go for Nigel Slater's Chicken & Leek Pie.

The difference between my pie and this pie is the way the chicken is cooked. I tend to brown my chicken off in a frying pan along with the bacon and leeks, but Nigel instructs us to poach the chicken in milk infused with bay leaves, peppercorns, onion and then add to the bacon and leek later on and I will tell you what; it is an absolutely amazing smell in the kitchen!

The sauce is then made up of the strained milk along with flour and Dijon mustard. The mustard adds a real tang to the flavour, and along with the all-butter puff pastry, you can't really go wrong.

Ingredients:

600g chicken thighs

10 pepper corns

1 small onion

2 bay leaves

milk (enough to cover the chicken pieces)

5-6 rashers smoked bacon, cubed

butter

3 leeks, sliced into 1/2 inch discs

3 tbsp plain flour

3 tsp Dijon mustard

2 x 375g packs of all-butter puff pastry

1 egg

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200 deg. celsius.

2. In a saucepan, add the chicken, peppercorns, onion and bay leaves. Cover with milk. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 25 minutes until the chicken is cooked.

3. Meanwhile fry the bacon in some butter (approx. 30g). Add the sliced leeks and allow to soften.

4. When the chicken is cooked, remove from the milk and flake into the pan with the leeks and bacon.

5. Add the flour and cook through for a couple of minutes before adding the milk through a sieve to remove the peppercorns, bay leaves and onion. Add the Dijon mustard and stir constantly to make a thick sauce.

6. Roll out the sheets of puff pastry to a rectangular shape at a pound coin thickness. Lay the first sheet in a large ovenproof dish and spoon in the filling. Lay the second sheet over the top and crimp together.

7. Beat the egg and brush over the pie topping. Bake in the oven for approximately 35 minutes. 

Meal Twenty - Quick Pasta & Pesto

For a light lunch, I really enjoy a plate of pasta. It's quick, filling and tasty.
I like the fact it's so versatile. You can put it with a tomato sauce, a cream sauce or something very simple like I've done today - pesto!
Don't bother with the shop bought pestos as nice as they are, as the homemade version is just as quick and easy and above all tasty!

Ingredients:

50g pine nuts

large bunch of basil

50g parmesan or pecorino cheese

150ml olive oil

2 garlic gloves

200g fusilli bucati pasta

Method:

1. Bring a frying pan up to a high heat and toast the pine nuts until golden.

2. Add the pine nuts, garlic cloves, cheese, basil leaves and storks and olive oil to a food processor and blend until smooth.

3. Add the pasta to some salted boiling water and cook between 10 and 12 minutes. (I like a bit of a bite to the pasta so cook for 10 minutes).

4. Drain the pasta and return to the sauce pan. Add two to three large spoons of pesto to the pasta and stir through.

5. Serve with a grating of cheese and a touch of olive oil.

Tip:

The pesto will keep for a good couple of weeks if you don't use it all.

Pop the remaining mixture into a jar and cover with some more olive oil.

Meal Nineteen - Spicy Chicken and Rice

The second dish of the night was also chicken - sorry Quig.

As I've mentioned before, a lot of my dishes will follow on if I have an overstock of ingredients.

This is the first time I got to use my paella pan, of which Sam bought me for Christmas.

It definitely makes a difference, as there is a lot of chicken to brown off!

The flavours and smells from this dish are amazing and aside from the little taster I had, I can't wait to tuck into this for lunch tomorrow.

Ingredients:

1.5kg chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 red, 1 yellow and 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and quartered

2 green chillies, deseeded and finely diced

450g tomatoes, skinned and chopped

1 onion, finely diced

2 tbsp vegetable oil

salt and cayenne pepper

1 tsp paprika

150g long grain rice

450ml vegetable stock

1 tsp fresh thyme

100g green olices, stoned and halved

few drops of Tabasco sauce

2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan (or paella pan). Season the chicken with the cayenne pepper and salt, add to the pan and fry for 8-10 minutes, turning it brown all over. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon. 

2. Add the peppers and onion and fry for 5 minutes until browned, then again remove from the pan with a slotted spoon.

3. Add the chillies, rice and paprika, stirring for 1 minutes until the rice is coated with the excess oil.

4. Add the hot vegetable stock and the cook the rice over a low heat for approximately 10 minutes. (You may have to add a touch of water if the rice begins to stick during this time. I had this problem, but I think the heat wasn't low enough!)

5. Return the peppers, onion and chicken to the pan. Add the thyme, tomatoes then cover and simmer for 20 minutes. (Use some foil if the pan is too big.)

6. Add the olives and stir into the pan. Add the tabasco sauce then taste and season if necessary.

Sprinkle with parsley and then serve.

Meal Eighteen - Thai Red Chicken Curry

For tonight, I really needed to play a little catch up.

The first dish I decided to go for was a Thai curry. For this version, I went for "red" as I've eaten copious amounts of the "green" style in the past.

In this dish, it had the added bonus of some aubergine, which I think is fast becoming my favourite vegetable!

Cooked with light coconut milk, instead of the full fat, or dare I say - coconut cream - this actually turns out to be a fairly healthy dish.

The outcome was superb, and I had to go back for seconds and aside from the aubergine, even my sister-in-law enjoyed it!

Ingredients:

400ml canned coconut milk (I chose the light version)

3 tbsp red Thai curry paste

4 chicken breasts (I put in three and two boneless chicken thighs - purely to save money)

4 tbsp fish sauce (I had oyster sauce and it's just as good)

2 tbsp caster sugar

225g tinned bamboo shoots

1 medium sized aubergine

juice of 1 lime

fresh basil leaves

1 tbsp grated fresh coconut - optional (I decided against it)

1/2 red chilli for decoration.

Method:

1. Pour 200ml of the coconut milk into a large saucepan. Stir in the red Thai curry paste and bring the mixture to the boil. Boil rapidly for 4-5 minutes or until the sauce is reduced by half.

2. Using a sharp knife, cut the chicken into 1 inch pieces. Add to the coconut sauce and bring back to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the chicken for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Stir in the oyster sauce and sugar and then bring back to the boil. Drain the bamboo shoots and cut into matchsticks, Cut the aubergine into small chunks. Add to the pan along with the the bamboo, Bring back to the boil again, then lower the heat and simmer for 5-6 minutes.

4. Stir the remaining coconut milk, lime juice and 2 tbsps shredded basil leaves. Heat through for another 2-3 minutes.

5. Serve with rice and some scattered red chilli.

Meal Seventeen - Nathan's Shepherds Pie

Firstly, apologies for the lack of cooking/blogging action over the past few days. It's been a bit manic in all honesty. A few changes in my job role have certainly contributed and that along with a guest over on the Friday and Saturday night meant that my meal plans were kind of out of sync.

For Friday nights (late) dinner, I decided to go for a family favourite - the humble Shepherds Pie.

I can't remember where I picked the original recipe up from, but after numerous years of adjustments and tweaks, I'm happy to share this wonderful dish with you.

The trick to this dish is all in the preparation. The ingredients may be similar to ones you've used in shepherds pies before, but with a little care and attention, this dish can have the "wow" factor.

If you follow the method below - without blowing my own trumpet - you will have not tasted a better version.

Ingredients:

500g minced lamb

6 rashers of smoked bacon, cubed

1 carrot, grated

1 onion, half grated half finely chopped

2 celery sticks, finely chopped

maris piper potatoes

1/2 punnet chestnut mushrooms

a handful of fresh rosemary (and it must be fresh), chopped

1 1/2 glasses of good red wine (if you wouldn't drink it, don't cook with it!)

250ml vegetable stock

1 egg yolk

100g grated parmesan

milk

50g grated mature cheddar

salt and black pepper

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 deg. celsius. Add the minced lamp to a frying pan and brown off for 4-5 minutes. (Don't worry about the lack of oil, the lamb will produce plenty). Add the bacon and continue to fry for a few more minutes.

2. Add the carrot, celery and onion and continue to fry over a medium heat until soft.

3. Gradually add the wine and cook out the alcohol. 

4. Add the mushrooms and allow to soak up the juices in the pan.

5. Gradually add the vegetable stock and stir through continuously.

6. Add the rosemary and cook through for a few more minutes.

7. Reduce to a low heat and simmer for a good 20-25 minutes. (This allows the "gravy" to reduce down).

8. Meanwhile, peel and half your spuds and add to cold water. On a high heat, continue to boil the potatoes until of a consistency to make mash. (Maris piper is a floury potato, so keep an eye that they don't just fall apart.)

9. When the potatoes are done, add a splash of milk, the egg yolk and parmesan. Then whip and mash yourself into a frenzy. (No-one likes lumpy mash!)

10. Spoon the lamb mixture into an oven proof dish and level with a spoon.

11. Spoon over the mash potato, and with a fork, create some grooves across the top. Sprinkle over the grated cheddar and pop in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden.

12. Serve with carrots, beans and some wilted spinach.