Saturday 24 October 2009

Baked mushrooms a la Joy Duckett

For two people -

Four big flat mushrooms (we use Portabella I think)
About half a red onion
Strong cheese
(optional) - can of chopped tomatoes, courgette
Black pepper

If you're using the can of tomatoes and courgette, just thinly slice the courgette lengthways with a peeler and put that and the tomatoes into the bottom of a pyrex dish, stirring so the courgette and tomatoes are mixed.

Place the mushrooms on top, brown frilly side up, and thinly slice the red onion over it. Slice the cheese and arrange on top to cover, and add some black pepper. Pop it in the oven for about 20 minutes on 200 degrees.

Alternatively don't use the chopped tomatoes and courgette - use a sliced tomato or two and arrange it on top of the mushrooms with the onion, under the cheese. Bake it for the same amount of time.

Goes very well with chicken/fish/roast meat/everything :)

Chicken enchiladas

3-4 chicken breasts, cubed
1 small pack chorizo
1 onion
1-2 peppers, red and green or yellow
1-2 courgettes, depending on size
1 large tin of refried beans
1 tin of kidney or black beans, drained
garlic
1 jar of enchilada sauce
1 pack of grated cheese
8 plain flour tortillas

optionals - coriander, chili flakes/tabasco, chipotle, etc - depends on the potency of your enchilada sauce.

First things first - fry off the chorizo in a little oil til it crisps up and turns the oil paprika-y. Then add the chicken and allow to cook through.

Add the chopped onions, allow to soften a bit before stirring in the garlic, and then the chopped peppers and courgette. Put the lid on and leave to break down a bit.

Add the drained beans, about a third of the enchilada sauce, and leave to cook down a little bit longer. You could put the oven on to heat at this point - about 200 degrees.

Finally add the refried beans and break them down. When it's all bubbly and thick take it off the heat and add some chopped coriander and about half of the cheese. Stir it through and give it a couple of minutes to go a bit sticky.

Put the large pyrex dish out and begin by spooning about 1 eigth of the mixture into a tortilla. Repeat until there are four tortillas on the bottom of the dish. Don't be too stingy with the mixture :) Spread half the remaining enchilada sauce over the tortillas, making sure they're covered, and a little sprinkle of cheese. Repeat and finish with the rest of the sauce and cheese, making sure it's all covered well. STick it in the oven then for about 25 minutes til it's bubbly and the cheese is melted.

Serve with nachos, guacamole, sour cream and a big salad if you're feeling frisky :)

Butternut squash risotto

Quite possibly the new favourite, and if not, then definitely the flavour of the month:

1 butternut squash
1 good sized onion
1 pak of pancetta cubes or 3-4 rashers of smoked bacon, chopped finely
1 small pack of pine nuts
parmesan, grated
garlic
sage, to taste
black pepper
chicken stock, about 400ml
risotto rice, about 200g or so

So. Crank up the oven to heat, as high as it will go. Peel and chop the butternut squash into bite-sized pieces, and discard the seeds. Arrange on a baking tray and roll about in some olive oil. Pop it in the oven to nuke, keeping an eye on it so it doesn't burn.

While that's doing, saute the onion and bacon off together in a large pan, possibly in a dab of butter, and whilst THOSE are doing, grate a good whack of parmesan and toast the pine nuts, dry, in a small pan. Keep an eye on them as once they start to toast they can catch and burn really quickly. Add the garlic to the softened onion and bacon and allow to cook down.

When the butternut squash is soft enough to break up with a wooden spoon, add it to the pan along with a good sprinkle of black pepper and a really good shake of sage. Then add the rice and stock, cover and leave to cook, stirring occasionally. If the rice cooks before all the stock is absorbed take off the lid and allow to reduce uncovered, stirring from time to time so it doesn't stick.

When it's done take it off the heat, add the parmesan and pine nuts, stir and enjoy :)

Sunday 18 October 2009

Lentil soup

This is basically a rip-off of Heinz vegetable and lentil soup but also a cunning way of using all the lonely stray veg up in the bottom of the fridge. Goes nice with a cheese sandwich.

5-6 tomatoes, or if you've got none to use up just use a tin of chopped toms and leave out the puree
one heart of celery
an onion
grated carrot (as much as you like, probably 1 or 2)
a yellow pepper
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed up small (1cm)
1 tablespoon of tomato puree (if using up fresh tomatoes)
garlic
salt and pepper
and then however many lentils and chicken stock you want.

So, just saute off the veg with the garlic and a generous sprinkle of salt (and an even more generous one of pepper). When they've softened a bit, add in however many lentils you think you'd like and then - the most important bit of measuring here - barely cover them with chicken stock. The rule is 1 chicken stock cube to approximately 300ml, so if you use a pint you'll need more like two. Don't ever use more than two though or it'll taste like a Pot Noodle.

After that just bring it up to the boil, stick the lid on and reduce to a slow simmer. You do need to keep stirring this one because the buggering lentils stick.

Beef Oxford

Another Joy Duckett special (although I seem to remember it's via Penny Bennett). Anyway, I've not really followed her recipe too closely, but it's essentially beef in red wine.

3-4 rashers of bacon
Good stewing steak
Onion
2 good sized carrots
1 heart of celery
2 green peppers
2 courgettes
1 bottle of good red wine
garlic (to taste, but the general rule is LOTS)
black olives, to taste
rosemary
beef oxo cube
nutmeg

SO. In a dab of butter fry off your bacon, then add the beef and let it brown. When it's browned, add a good shake of nutmeg, black pepper and a beef oxo cube and stick the lid on while you chop up the veg.

Add a good slug of garlic and the chopped celery and onions and put the lid back on - it needs to cook down a bit before the rest of the vegetables go in. When they do, give them a few minutes to soften before adding the bottle of wine, rosemary and - if necessary - a bit of water to just barely cover the veg. If you do add water, add a bit more beef stock - between half and a whole cube. Most importantly though bring it up to the boil to cook the alcohol off before turning down to a simmer and putting the lid on. This is going to take a good three hours so put it on the lowest heat and keep the lid on tight.

About halfway through the cooking time add the olives. When it's ready, thicken the sauce with cornflour paste or thickening granules. Serve with plain steamed rice, crunchy roast potatoes or, if you're of a mind, some thick noodles. All are good.

Saturday 3 October 2009

Sour cherry-lemon cupcakes

175g butter
175g golden caster sugar
3 medium eggs
175g self-raising flour, sifted
75g sour cherries (remember to keep 12 back for the tops of the cakes)
12 bite-size cubes of marzipan (well, or one per cake, as per the cherries)
1-2 lemons (rinds grated)

For the icing - icing sugar and lemon juice. You know how to get the consistency :)

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees (GM 5)

Beat the butter and sugar together, and then add the eggs (beaten) and flour a bit at a time. Add in the sour cherries and lemon zest and mix thoroughly. If it's really dry add a dash of milk.

Spoon half the cake mixture into the cake pans, smoothing it down evenly. Drop a cube of marzipan onto each one and then use the rest of the cake mix up. Get it as even as possible and smooth it flat on the top of each one. Make sure the marzipan is covered.

Bake for 15-20 minutes. Bear in mind that the skewer test won't work for this becuase the marzipan will be goopy, so do the press-spring test (ie, see if it springs back when you press it).

Leave them to cool (be careful getting them out because of the molten marzipan) and then when they're cold make the lemon icing (nice and thick), decorate with a cherry and put them somewhere cool (or cold) to set.

Sweet potato soup

1 onion
1 red pepper
1 pack of pancetta
dab of butter
2-3 sweet potatoes, depending how big they are
scant teaspoon of sweet smoked paprika
shake of cinnamon
garlic paste
boiling water
2 chicken stock cubes

Put the pancetta into the (metal) pan and let the fat render. While that's happening, chop the onion and red pepper.

When the pancetta is crispy and the fat's in the pan, take out the pancetta with a slotted spoon and put to one side. Add the butter, onion and red pepper to the pan and sweat off.

While that's happening, peel the sweet potatoes and slice into 1-cm thick slices. Then chop them up into 2-cm-ish cubes. Add a good squirt of garlic to the pan, stir it in and add the sweet potatoes. Put the lid on and leave to sweat while you boil the kettle and have a smoke.

Add the cinnamon and smoked paprika and stir in well, then crumble the stock cubes over the sweet potatoes. Finally, add enough boiling water from the kettle that it's JUST covered, turn the heat to medium-low, and stick the lid on. Wander off and make some tea or something; leave it for about 15-20 minutes.

Remove pan from heat and take off the lid so it cools a bit. Don apron/goggles/rain poncho/wellies and blend thoroughly with the hand blender. Stick the pancetta cubes back in and stir well before eating with enthusiastic faise.

Sweet potato soup

1 onion
1 red pepper
1 pack of pancetta
dab of butter
2-3 sweet potatoes, depending how big they are
scant teaspoon of sweet smoked paprika
shake of cinnamon
garlic paste
boiling water
2 chicken stock cubes

Put the pancetta into the (metal) pan and let the fat render. While that's happening, chop the onion and red pepper.

When the pancetta is crispy and the fat's in the pan, take out the pancetta with a slotted spoon and put to one side. Add the butter, onion and red pepper to the pan and sweat off.

While that's happening, peel the sweet potatoes and slice into 1-cm thick slices. Then chop them up into 2-cm-ish cubes. Add a good squirt of garlic to the pan, stir it in and add the sweet potatoes. Put the lid on and leave to sweat while you boil the kettle and have a smoke.

Add the cinnamon and smoked paprika and stir in well, then crumble the stock cubes over the sweet potatoes. Finally, add enough boiling water from the kettle that it's JUST covered, turn the heat to medium-low, and stick the lid on. Wander off and make some tea or something; leave it for about 15-20 minutes.

Remove pan from heat and take off the lid so it cools a bit. Don apron/goggles/rain poncho/wellies and blend thoroughly with the hand blender. Stick the pancetta cubes back in and stir well before eating with enthusiastic faise.