The Joy of Tasty Food

Chicken Croquettes with Tomato sauce

2012-06-19T12:52:00.003+01:00

This recipe is an altered version of a croquette recipe. The sauce is tailored for the dish, as sage and tarragon go well together for a cicken dish, and the lemon in the croquettes is supposed to compliment this.

450g potatoes, diced
2tbsp milk
200g chicken, finely sliced
3 eggs
rind of 1 lemon, finely grated
120g breadcrumbs
2 spring onions, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Vegetable oil, for deep fat frying

1tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
400g can of chopped tomatoes
2tbsp tomato puree
1tbsp sage, chopped
1tbsp tarragon, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Step 1
Boil the potatoes for 25 minutes, or until tender. Drain the potatoes and return to the pan on a low heat to ensure that all excess water evaporates. Mash the potatoes with the milk and two of the eggs. Season with the salt and pepper, and mix in the chicken, lemon rind, and spring onions. Chill for at least 1 hour n the fridge.

Step 2
Meanwhile prepare the sauce by heating the oil in a saucepan and adding the onions, frying for 5 minutes until softened. Add the tomates and the puree and stir and simmer the sauce for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, before serving add the sage and tarragon and warm through for a minute.

Step 3
Remove the potato mixture from the fridge and divide into roughly equal sized portions. Shape each portion into a sausage shape then, having beaten the last egg,dip the potato mixture into the egg then the breadcrumbs.

Step 4
Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan, deep-fat fryer, or a deep bottomed frying pan, until a cube of bread dropped in it sinks, rises and sizzles in 10 seconds. Deep fry the croquettes for 5 minutes or until golden and crisp, serve immediately with the sauce.

This recipe is flexible in terms of sauce and ingredients for the croquette. I used chicken, but you could also use turkey, or ham, or vegetables. If using ham you could change the sauce to a cheesy one to better fit with the ingredients. This could be an excellent use of leftovers from christmas dinner, as you could have the potatoes mashed, add in the turkey, and you could then finely slice brussel sprouts to replace the spring onions, and serve with cranberry sauce instead of a tomato based sauce.

Root Vegetable and Bacon Soup

2012-06-17T20:05:00.000+01:00

A delicious and simple soup, could be used as a basis for other soups, or just eaten as it is. I like chunky vegetables, but if you prefer smaller sized chunks then reduce the cooking time accordingly as small pieces cook faster.

3 medium sized carrots, roughly chopped
2 medium parsnips, roughly chopped
2 onions, roughly chopped
1 small (1/2 meduim) swede, chopped
3 small (2 meduim) potatoes, finely chopped
4 rashers streaky bacon, finely sliced
1 1/2 litres chicken stock
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 small sprig rosemary
1 tbsp sunflower oil
salt and pepper to taste

Step 1
Heat the oil in a large saucepan, and add the carrots, swede and onion and cook over a medium heat for five minutes while stirring. Add the garlic and parsnips, and cook for a futher minute before adding the stock and rosemary. Cook on a low heat for 30 minutes.

Step 2
Add the bacon and potatoes and cook for a further 10 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste, and serve with a crusty roll.

This soup is a deliciously warming meal to have, and can be had at any time of the year. Adding different vegetables can make it more seasonal, as can adding different meats. For example, asparagus and mange tout could be added to give a more summery feel for the soup, while brussel sprouts and turkey could be added for a christmassy feel. It can also be made vegetarian by simply removing the bacon from the recipe.

Spiced Red Lentil Wholemeal Bread

2012-06-05T18:52:00.000+01:00

I created this recipe as an attempt to mix up a classic bread recipe. The addition of lentils to the recipe gives the bread more body while the spices add taste to the bread without being overpowering. This bread would be a good accompaniment to a casseole or stew if the slices were cut thick.

300g wholemeal flour
150g plain flour
200g lentils
1tsp salt
1tsp cumin seeds, ground
1tsp coriander seeds, ground
2tsp yeast
200ml water, from cooking the lentils
1/2 tsp sugar

Step 1
Bring to the boil a saucepan full of water, and reduce to a simmer and add the lentils. Simmer for 30 minutes then drain the lentils while keeping the water. Allow the reserved water to cool till warm to the touch, then add the yeast and sugar. Mix well and cover with cling film, then leave for 10 minutes.

Step 2
In a large bowl mix the flours, salt, ground cumin and ground coriander. Add to the bowl the lentils and the yeast mixture and mix to a smooth dough. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes. Return to the bowl and cover with lightly oiled cling film and place in a warm place until doubled in size.

Step 3
Turn out the risen dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough and roll to fit into a floured bread tin. Cover with lightly oiled cling film and leave to rise for 30-40 minutes in a warm place. Once risen lightly score the top of the dough to aid with expansion, and put the bread in a pre-heated oven (180°c) for 40 minutes.

Sweet Chilli Sauce

2012-05-20T21:35:00.001+01:00

Sweet chili sauce is an excellent accompaniment to many oriental dishes, fish, prawns, or even just as a dip. In this recipe you can adjust the heat of the sauce by strategic use of the chili seeds. A really spicy sauce has all the seeds in it, as the seeds are where the majority of the heat in a chili lies, whereas a milder sauce will have few, if any, seeds. Also note that increasing the amount of sugar will make it sweeter, but will also lessen the spiciness of the chili.

3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 chili peppers
chili seeds of 1 chili pepper (optional)
200ml water
60ml white wine vinegar
10g ginger
2tsp salt
5tbsp sugar
1tbsp cornflour
2tbsp cold water

Step 1
Mix the cornflour and cold water into a paste, then set aside. Place all the other ingredients into a blender and purée them. Pour the contents of the blender into a saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil on a medium heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes. Slowly whisk in the cornflour paste and simmer for another minute.

Step 2
Remove the mixture from the heat and allow to cool, then serve or pour into a container to store.

Another way to make this sauce is to create a syrup with sugar and water to serve as the thick suspension for the chili. Done in this way you would not need to create a cornflour paste.

Spicy Barbecue Sauce

2012-05-16T18:20:00.000+01:00

A barbecue sauce can be very versatile if you get the consistency right. You can have it as a marinade, in which case it needs to be a little more runny, a dipping sauce, where it should be sticky and thick enough to coat the food, or anywhere in between. A good barbecue sauce can go on anything, be it chicken, hot dogs, or pizza, and this is a good barbecue sauce.

2 medium onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2tsp paprika
2tsp cumin
1tbsp tomato puree
1x400g tin chopped tomatoes
350g tomato ketchup
1 red chilli, finely chopped
10g fresh ginger, finely chopped
300g soft brown sugar
1tbsp cooking oil
200ml water
200ml cider vinegar
Salt and pepper to season

Step 1
Heat the oil in a large saucepan, and when hot add the onion, garlic, ginger and half the chilli. Reduce to a medium heat, and stir well. Add the paprika, cumin, tomato puree, water, vinegar sugar and ketchup and mix, then pour in the tinned tomatoes through a sieve, pressing the pieces through with a wooden spoon. Reduce on a medium heat for 30 minutes.

The barbecue sauce is now ready to be used as a marinade or in cooking, or reduce it down some more and use it to coat foor for a barbecue, or reduce it a bit further to make a barbecue dip. Ther sauce is also easy to customise, so if you like it stronger or weaker in terms of spice you can put in more or less chilli. You could also try customising the sauce for specific meats, trying mint in it for lamb, or sage for chicken.

Croutons

2012-04-29T08:55:00.001+01:00

Croutons are tasty bits of crisp bread cubes that go excellently with a thick soup, or on a salad. Easy to make, versatile and delicious, everyone should be able to cook these.

Stale bread, cut into small, approx 1cm, cubes
olive oil
Salt and pepper to season

Step 1
Pre-heat an oven to 200°C. Place the bread into a bowl and drizzle over the olive oil to just coat the cubes, and add the seasoning. Using your hands, scoop around the bowl to ensure that all the bread is coated with the oil. Turn out the croutons onto a baking tray, and place into the pre-heated oven for 10-15 minutes, or until browned. Remove from the oven.

This is such a simple addition to a meal, and they can be so versatile. This recipe just gives an idea for a basic crouton, but you can impart flavours into them so easily. Crushed garlic added to the bowl and allowed to sit for 10-15 minutes will impart a hint of garlic, and you can add any number of herbs. These croutons are best used to top a thick soup, as they will lay on the surface and stay relatively crisp, or in a salad to add some crunch.

Carrot and Parsnip Soup

2012-04-29T08:55:00.000+01:00

This is a recipe I created for dinner one night.

3-4 medium sized carrots, quartered lengthways
3 large parsnips,quartered lengthways
3 medium onions, quartered
2 tbsp olive oil
25g fresh ginger
25g chives
salt and pepper to season
1 handful croutons per person
1L vegetable stock

Step 1

Place the carrots, parsnip, onions and half the ginger into a roasting dish and coat with the oil and seasoning and place into an oven, pre-heated to 180°C, for 40 minutes. Once cookedplace into a blender with the chives, stock, rest of the ginger, and blend.

Step 2

Reheat and serve with the croutons sprinkled on top.

This is a very nice dish, the ginger adds a subtle warmth to it which makes it great to have any time of year. A really nice, simple soup.

Basic Pizza Dough

2012-04-18T22:04:00.002+01:00

This recipe is an excellent addition to your cookery knowledge, and should really be learnt so that you can make it without consulting the actual recipe. It is also, in my opinion, much better than a shop bought pizza base in terms of both taste and texture.

100g plain white flour
250g white bread flour
2 tsp salt
1tsp caster sugar
2 tbsp olive oil
240ml warm water
2tsp dried yeast

Step 1
Sift the flour, salt and sugar into a bowl and make a well in the centre of the mix. Add the yeast to the water, and add a bit of the flour mix then stir well. Cover the water and leave in a warm place for 10 minutes. Add the water to the flour and mix to a dough, first using your fingers and then the whole hand. wipe the bowl clean with the dough, adding more water for more dry bits, or more flour if the dough is too sticky. Knead the dough for at least 3 minutes, or until it develops a sheen.

Step 2
Return the dough to the bowl, cover with oiled clingfilm, and leave to rise for about an hour at room temperature or until doubled in size. Pre-heat the oven to 230°C along with a pizza stone or baking sheet. Tip the dough out onto a work surface sprinkled with flour to prevent it from sticking. Knock the air out of the dough and knead for a few seconds to shape into two or three balls. Dust a rolling pin and roll out the dough into shape. Finish stretching out the dough with your hands, working out from the centre to make a fairly thin-based pizza.

Step 3
Put toppings on the pizza, and bake on a high shelf in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the crust is golden brown, then remove the pizza and serve hot.

Some good suggestions for the pizza topping are tomato sauce, either on its own or with other toppings, or garlic butter. Some suggestions for toppings with the tomato sauce are: chicken and peppers; four cheese; pepperami and salami; ham and pineapple; or even just the simple cheddar cheese option. The pizzas shown below are topped with the tomato sauce recipe, and courgette, chicken and cheese.

So fresh the lens is steaming up

Thin and crisp, perfect.

Just look at that crust, perfectly cooked

Basic Tomato Sauce

2012-04-18T21:19:00.004+01:00

This is a great basic tomato sauce and it can be used on many things, like pizza or pasta, or added to to create a more exciting sauce. This is something that everyone should know how to cook as it's simple and easy to do.

2 medium onions, chopped
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
2 medium garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp tomato puree
2 tsp fresh basil, chopped
2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to season

Step 1
Heat the oil in a saucepan on a medium heat, and add the onion and garlic. Heat slowly over a medium-low heat till translucent. Add the tinned tomatoes and tomato puree, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Step 2
Add the herbs and seasoning to the sauce, and add to the dish.

How long this sauce is cooked for can vary depending on what dish it is to be used with, as a pasta sauce can be fairly 'wet', while a sauce used for topping a pizza would be better as a thick sauce.

Breaded Chicken on Spinach with a Balsamc Dressing

2012-04-13T10:45:00.000+01:00

This is a dish I came up with for dinner. It's a simple salad style dish with a smal twist, the only oil used is in making the breaded chicken, the rest of the frying is done with the fat from the chicken itself, which helps to flavour everything.

5 chicken drumsticks and thighs with skin
150g spinach
1-2 eggs
150g plain flour
300g bread, left out overnight uncovered
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
12 cherry tomatoes on the vine
200ml balsamic vinegar
sunflower oil
1 pepper, quartered
Cress to garnish
salt and pepper to season

Step 1
Place the chicken skin side down into a frying pan over a low heat, leaving room between the chicken. Once some fat has been rendered from the chicken turn up to a medium heat, turn the chicken every 5-10 minutes for about 30 minutes. Once the chicken has turned pale all over remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, fry any remaining chicken and keep the pan witht he juices. Since the aim here is to get the fat out of the chicken and to make the chicken easier to remove from the bone, as it will be fried later it can be undercooked. Meanwhile place the bread into a food processor/blender and reduce to crumbs. Place the breadcrumbs into a medium sized food bag, and into another food bag place the flour and some salt and pepper.

Step 2
Allow the chicken time to cool, then remove the meat from the bone and skin, either discard the bone or keep for stock and place the skin back in the frying pan with the juices. When removing the meat use your fingers to tear the meat, trying to keep the pieces bite sized. Break the two eggs into a bowl and lightly beat them. Into a deep frying pan place about 1/2 inch of sunflower oil and put on a high heat.Lightly coat the chicken pieces in beaten egg and place into the bag with the flour and shake, then transfer across to the bag of breadcrumbs and shake again. Then transfer to the deep frying pan and cook until crispy and golden, turning to get a good golden crunch all over. Once cooked, remove the chicken from the pan and place onto a plate covered with kitchen paper to drain.

Step 3
Meanwhile heat the frying pan containing the chicken skins on a medium-high heat. Squash the skin down with a spatula or spoon in order to get the most of the fat out of the skins, then remove them with a slotted spoon and discard. Either open a window or use an extractor fan at this stage, and start adding the vinegar, sugar and seasoning and sitr with a spoon or mix with a whisk. Reduce the vinegar a little to thicken the dressing, then add the cherry tomatoes, still on the vine, and a few spinach leaves before removing from the heat.

Step 4
Place the remaining spinach leaves on a plate and top with the breaded chicken pieces. Arrange the cherry tomatoes, the quartered pepper, then drizzle the dressing over before scattering the cress. Serve imediately.

This dish can be served with the chicken hot or cold, but the dressing needs to be served hot as it contains chicken fat, which would thicken if cold. Use sunflower oil to get the best crispness out of the breaded chicken as it has a higher boiling point than some other cooking oils. To add some spice to the dish you can add paprika or other spices to the flour. Spinach is just one of the leaves that can be used here, for a change you can use watercress, or any other salad leaf. You can also leave out the spinach leaves from in the dressing, and reduce it down more so it is more of a glaze than a dressing.

Toad in the Hole with Mustard and Spring Onion Mash and Onion Gravy

2012-03-31T18:25:00.000+01:00

Toad in the hole is a classic dish that goes well with mashed potato. When the batter is cooked to perfection it's just so crisp on the outside and light on the inside, but it needs a hot oven.

6 pork sausages
1tbsp oil

for the batter
75g plain flour
1 large egg
75ml milk
55ml water
salt and pepper to season

for the gravy
2 large onions, sliced
2 tsp oil
1tsp caster sugar
1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1tsp mustard
1tbsp plain flour
425ml vegetable stock
salt and pepper to season

for the potato
4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
25g butter
50-100ml milk
2tsp wholegrain mustard
2 spring onions, finely chopped
50g double Gloucester cheese

Step 1
Sieve the flour into a large bowl, then make a well in the centre of the flour for the egg. Add the egg, and salt and pepper to season, and beat into the flour. As you mix the egg and flour, slowly add the milk and the water to the mixture, making sure to whisk the flour from around the edges until the batter has a smooth consistency. Cover with cling film, and leave to rest.

Step 2
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220°C place the sliced onions in a bowl with one teaspoon of the oil and sugar, then mix gently to coat the onions before spreading on a baking tray. Arrange the sausages in a roasting tin and place the onions on a high shelf in the oven and the sausages on a lower shelf. After 10 minutes remove the sausages, after another 5 remove the onions. Heat the sausages on the hob and add the tablespoon of oil if there's not much fat in the pan. When the tin is really hot and the oil is searing hot quickly pour in the batter and return to the hot oven, on the highest shelf, for 30 minutes.

Step 3
Add the Worcestershire sauce and mustard to the stock, then add the onions and remaining oil to a saucepan and stir in the plain flour using a wooden spoon. Stir it in, on a medium heat, until it starts getting too thick, then switch to a whisk and slowly add the stock, whisking until the liquid is smooth. Turn up the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Step 4
Meanwhile boil the cubed potatoes until par-boiled then drain. Add the butter and mash with a masher, then slowly add the milk and mix well with a fork until the potato is the desired texture, a more creamy mash will need more milk. Then add the mustard and spring onions and mix into the mash before spooning the mixture into a small oven-proof dish and topping with the cheese. Place this into the oven with the toad in the hole for 15 minutes.

For a slight variation on the dish add chives to the batter in step 1. For a more flavoursome gravy you can drain off the fat from the sausages and use it in the gravy, use in place of the an equivalent amount of oil, in step 4, so as to not make the gravy too fatty. You can use any cheese on the mash instead of the double Gloucester, but the colour of it looks really striking against the white of the mash.

Chilli Con Carne

2012-03-24T18:00:00.001+00:00

A great dish when done properly, Chilli con carne is a delicious taste of home and a really tasty dish. You can make it properly with thin strips of steak, or you can substitute minced steak, or beef, instead. Instead of the can of tomatoes you could prepare your own, but canned is easier and quicker.

1.2kg lean braising steak/minced beef
2tbsp sunflower oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed or finely chopped
1tbsp plain flour
300ml red wine
300ml beef stock
2tbsp tomato puree
salt and pepper for seasoning

For the Beans
2tsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 fresh red chilli, de-seeded and chopped
2 x 400g cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
400g can chopped tomatoes

Step 1
If using the braising steak cut into thin strips and then cut crossways to make cubes of the meat. Heat the sunflower oil in a large saucepan and add the chopped onion and the garlic and cook on a low heat until softened, not browned. Remove the onion and garlic with a slotted spoon, and season the flour with salt and pepper before coating the cubes of meat with it and adding them to the pan on a high heat and brown. If using mince, make small balls of mince and roll in the seasoned flour, and when browning break up the ball.

Step 2
Return the onion and garlic to the pan and stir in the wine, stock and tomato puree and bring to the boil on a high heat, reduce the heat and let the beef mixture simmer for 45 minutes or until tender, if using whole steak; or for 30 minutes if using mince. Reduce the liquid until thickened and taste, and add more seasoning if required.

Step 3
Meanwhile heat the olive oil in a large, deep frying pan and cook the onion and chilli on a low heat until softened. stir in the beans and tomatoes and simmer gently to reduce the liquid for 25-30 minutes until the mixture has thickened. Serve with the beans topping the meat

Ideally serve this with basmati rice, and you can have guacamole, salsa, and sour cream on the side. Top with chopped coriander leaves as a garnish to add a little extra flavour. For those who like their food with less spice you can reduce the amount of chilli, about half a chilli will reduce the heat while still giving the flavour. If, on the other hand, you like more spice then you can add either more chilli, some tobasco sauce, or use a hotter chilli pepper. Also, I like to mix together the meat and the bean just before serving, or for an interesting take you could always try having three strips, one of the meat, one of the rice, and one of the beans, artfully aranged on the plate. As you can see from the pictures I also added celery and carrots to the mix. If you do this add them with the beans and tomatoes in step 3.

Chocolate Chip Vanilla Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Icing

2012-03-05T18:16:00.001+00:00

Vanilla cupcakes are the most basic cupcakes, and adding chocolate chips can make them a little bit more decadent and give them more body. The versatility of the classic vanilla cupcake means that you can spice it up with things like the chocolate chips, and add different icings and decorations.

110g unsalted butter at room temperature
225g caster sugar
2 large eggs
150g self-raising flour
125g plain flour
120ml milk at room temperature
1tsp vanilla extract
120g chocolate chip

110g unsalted butter at room temperature
60ml milk at room temperature
1tsp vanilla extract
500g icing sugar
food colouring

Step 1
In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar together until you have a smooth, pale mixture. Add the eggs one at a time and mixing thoroughly after each addition. Sift the flours into a seperate bowl and mix the milk and vanilla in a jug. Add about a third of the flour to the creamed mixture, beating thoroughly, then a third of the milk, again beathing thoroughly. Repeat until all the flour and milk has been used. Mix in the chocolate chips.

Step 2
Preheat the oven to 170°C, and line a muffing tray with cupcake cases. Carefully transfer the mixture into the cupcake cases filling them two thirds full. Transfer to the oven and cook for 20-30 minutes, until golden brown and slightly raised. Check the centre of the cake with a skewer or thin knife, it should come out clean if it is properly cooked. Remove the cupcakes from the oen and leave to cool on a wire rack. Once cool you can add icing.

Step 3
I a large mixing bowl beat all the icing ingredients, except the food colouring and only half the icing sugar, together. Slowly add the remaining icing sugar and beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. If you are adding food colouring add it carefully and beat thoroughly after each addition tobuild up to your desired shade. Once achieved use a pallet knife, or a spatula, to spread the icing over the top of the cupcake.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

2012-03-01T12:54:00.000+00:00

For this recipe you can have either spaghetti or another long pasta, I made mine with long strips of homemade pasta.

Spaghetti

1 onion, finely chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1tsp tomato puree
1tsp fresh basil, chopped
1tsp fresh chives, chopped
1glass white wine

250g minced meat
50g breadcrumbs
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1tsp fresh chives, chopped
1tsp paprika
1 egg
plain flour
salt and pepper to season

Step 1
Add the chopped onion and garlic to a saucepan with a little oil and sweat on a low heat. When the onion becomes transluscent add half the wine and reduce on a high heat. Add the tin of tomatoes and the tomato puree, and simmer on a low heat.

Step 2
Put the meat, 1/2 an onion, chives, egg, paprika, breadcrumbs, and seasoning into a mixing bowl and use your hand to mix the ingredients well. If the mixture is a little sticky add a little plain flour to help bind it. In a deep fryingpan heat a little oil, meanwhile shape the mixture into small balls, using a little flour on your hands to prevent the mixture from sticking, and place the balls into the oil. Brown one side then turn.

Step 3
Add the tomato sauce to the frying pan with the last half a glass of wine and salt and pepper. Cook on a medium-high heat to finish cooking the meatballs and to reduce the sauce. Once reduced add the chives and basil and stir through before removing from the heat.

Step 4
Meanwhile have a large saucepan with slightly salted boiling water at the ready. If using home-made pasta add to the water when reducing the tomato sauce with the meatballs, otherwise leave sufficient time to properly cook the pasta. Once cooked serve immediately topping with the sauce and meatballs.

I used beef for the meatballs, but you can use any other meat, or even meat subsititute.Using the amounts given, and assuming a diameter of about 1 inch for the meatballs, you should be able to make about a dozen meatballs.
This dish would be enhanced with a delicious side of garlic bread, or even just a side of bread and garlic butter cooked in the oven for a few minutes until crisp, like these

Cottage Loaf

2012-02-29T23:04:00.000+00:00

This is a recipe for a classic english loaf, the cottage loaf. It's a fairly easy recipe, and can make a delicious and light loaf. The placement of the top part of the dough is very important, as it can fall off, but proper placement will prevent that.

300g white plain flour
150g white bread flour
2 tsp salt
25g fresh yeast
200ml warm water
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 egg, beaten

Step 1
Sift the flours and salt into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Crumble in the yeast and add the water, stir with finger or two to disolve the yeast, then add the oil and mix. When the dough leaves the side of the bowl turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and knnead for about 10 minutes, adding more flour if needed. The dough should end up firm.

Step 2
Leave the dough to rise i a bowl covered with oiled clingfilm in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in size. turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knock back. Form the dough into two balls, one of a third of the dough and the other of two-thirds of the dough. Leave to rest with oiled cling film over the top.

Step 3
Place the larger ball on a floured baking sheet and gently flatten the top, flatten the bottom of the smaller ball, and moisten with a little water before placeing the small ball on the large ball in the centre. Carefully press a hole through the centre of the top ball to the centre of the bottom, using three fingers in a cone shape.

Step 4
Brush the loaf with the beaten egg , then cover with oiled clingfilm and a bowl inverted over the loaf, and leave to rest for 40 minutes in a warm place, menwhile heat the oven to 200°C. When proved brush the loaf with egg again then, using a pair of scissors, snip small cuts in the top and bottom loaf at 5cm intervals to help the expansion during cooking.

Step 5
Bake the loaf under an overturned saucepan or metal bowl large enough to cover the loaf with room for growth during cooking. Bake for 20 minutes like this before removing the cover, and bake for a further 15-20 minutes to make the crust brown and crisp. Cool the loaf on a wire rack.

This loaf is a very delicious one, and it can be really very soft compared to other loaves. It's soft and light, and will make delicious sandwiches.

Chicken Soup

2012-02-23T12:17:00.001+00:00

Chicken soup, at its best it is a simple and really tasty way to make leftover roast chicken go further. It's one of the most comforting dishes, and this recipe is so simple a child could make it, under supervision of course.

250g-500g chicken
2 small, or 1 medium, onions, chopped
3 large carrots, chopped
2 leeks,chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
2 small potatoes, chopped small
1small swede, chopped small
1.5l chicken stock
2tbsp vegetable oil
salt and pepper to season

Step 1
Put the oil in a large saucepan on a medium-high heat and add the onions, leek and carrot when hot. Reduce the heat to avoid browning the onions, and stir frequently. Add the stock and simmer.

Step 2
Add the swede and potatoes, and simmer until tender. Add the chicken, celery, and season to taste.Serve hot with a crunchy bread roll on the side.

This chicken soup recipe is really delicious just as it is, but if you want a little extra crunch in it you could add 150g of sweetcorn at the end with the chicken. You can also add more flavour by adding either chopped tarragon or thyme at the end of the cooking time, just before serving.

Chicken with Potato Dumplings

2012-02-21T00:49:00.001+00:00

This is a recipe I found in a book, but I'm using a slightly different version of it. The original version called for chicken breasts, whilst I am using chicken drumsticks. I've also added the carrot and celery and changed the herb from tarragon to thyme.

1 onion, chopped
300ml chicken stock
120ml white wine
10 small-medium chicken drumsticks
200ml double cream
1 tbsp fresh thyme
3 large carrots, thinly sliced
2 sticks celery, roughly chopped
salt and pepper to season
Potato Dumplings
3 small, or 2 medium potatoes, boiled and mashed
175g suet
115g self-raising flour
50ml water
2tbsp mixed fresh herbs
salt and pepper to season

Step 1
In a deep-sided frying pan place the onion, stock wine and chicken. Bring to a simmer, and leave covered for 15 minutes.

Step 2
Remove the Chicken from the stock, then strain the stock and discard the onions. Reduce the stock, by about a third, on a high heat before lowering the temperature to simmer. Add the thyme and the cream and simmer until thickened. Stir in the chicken and season with salt and pepper

Step 3
Boil some water with the carrots, and simmer for 5 minutes. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Add to the chicken and sauce, then spoon the mixture into a 1L ovenproof dish. Mix the solid dumpling ingredients, then stir in the water, using your fingertips, to make a soft dough. divide up the dough into balls and place on top of the chicken mixture before placing uncovered in the oven to bake for 30 minutes.

This produces a really nice chicken dish, and because of the cream is very rich. Due to the cooking of the sauce after the reduction I found that it was a bit too thick, and my solution was to make up a quick sauce with some more chicken stock, a bit of the thick sauce, salt and pepper, and a touch more thyme. It turned out really well though, and balanced out the sauce in the main dish. The potato dumplings are quite filling, so with the carrots you may have all the vegetables you need, or you may want to, like me, add something like peas on the side.

Chicken Stock

2012-02-13T21:12:00.001+00:00

Chicken stock, an important ingredient in many dishes and a really useful thing to have saved up. You use it in soups, risotto's, stews, cous cous, casserole, sauces, pretty much anything really

1-2 Chicken carcasses
2 sticks of celery roughly chopped
2 medium onions quartered
1 leek roughly chopped
2 carrots roughly chopped
1 bouquet garni
3-4 cloves garlic, bashed or roughly crushed
6 litres cold water

Step 1
Put the carcasses into a large stock pot with all the other ingredients. Bring to the boil and turn down the heat to simmer for about 4 hours. Allow the stock to cool a little before putting seiving into a container, and put in the fridge or freezer. Skim any dirt/scum from the top of the stock during the cooking.

At it's heart you only need the chicken carcass for this, but just the carcass gets you something really simple. for added verve you need to have the vegetables. If you do not have a bouquet garni use a selection of herbs including thyme, rosemary, basil, bay leaves, and oregano. The stock will keep best in the freezer, for a few months, but in the fridge is best kept for only a few days. With the stock try and think what you'll be using it for, and you can try to add extras to it for the best effect. For example, if you plan to use the stock in a curry or thai dish you may want to include chilli pepper in with the vegetables to add that flavour. Reducing the stock will concentrate the flavour, and help reduce the amount of space needed to store it.

Minestrone Soup

2012-02-12T10:27:00.001+00:00

This soup is an excellent dish to make if you have lots of different vegetables to use up and can be made with most cold meats, although ham is usually used. If you've made your own pasta with the Pasta Dough you can cut it into strips and then make small diamond shapes to put into the soup instead of the dried spaghetti or pasta shapes that the recipe calls for.

2 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2-3 carrots, chopped
2 x 400g chopped tomatoes
1L stock, chicken or vegetable
3 celery sticks, chopped
1/2 medium cabbage, shredded
3 medium potatoes, chopped
1 leek, chopped
120g frozen peas
120g pearl barley
100g pasta shapes or small pieces of dried spaghetti
1 bay leaf
2-3 sprigs of thyme
salt and pepper to season

Step 1
Prepare the pearl barley as instructed on the packet. In a large saucepan heat the oil then add the onion, garlic, leek, celery and carrot and cook for five minutes on a medium heat, stirring to prevent any browning.
Add the stock, tomatoes, cabbage, bay leaf, thyme and potatoes. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

Step 2
Add the pasta and pearl barley and season to taste before cooking for another 5 minutes. Add the peas and simmer for a final two minutes. Throughout the cooking stir to prevent the ingredients settling at the bottom and sticking.

This soup is a real winter-warmer. You don't have to use all the vegetables stated in the ingredients list, you can swap out some for others or even add some if you like. If you make this soup after christmas you could swap out the cabbage for brussel sprouts for example, and don't be afraid to add any vegetables. The main veg to make this dish are the ones down to celery, anything else you can change. If you'e made your own pasta I highly reccomend you use it in this dish, homemade pasta makes a difference you can taste.

Pasta Dough

2012-02-08T20:05:00.000+00:00

A staple for any aspiring chef who likes to make, or try making, everything at least once. I've only made a few batches so far, but this is the recipe i think works the best for me.

275g pasta flour
3 medium eggs

Step 1
Place the pasta flour into a bowl and make a well in the centre for the eggs. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing them into the flour with a fork. Stir the well with the fork until all the dough is smooth and shiny, adding more flour from the sides if needed.

Step 2
Using your hands, incorperate the rest of the flour until it becomes solid enough to turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic adding more flour if needed, especially f the dough becomes sticky or too pliable. Cover the dough with cling film, and leave to rest for 30 minutes.

Step 3
Make 4 portions of the dough and then use the following method if you have no pasta roller. On a lightly floured surface roll out the portions of pasta until you get to your desired thickness, usually around 1mm, and cut into the desired shape.

I have used this method to make tagniatelli by cutting the rolled dough into thin strips, Ravioli by cutting into squares (though you can have them round) and filling them, and small pasta shapes for minestrone soup. This recipe can be used for ANY pasta you like, so long as you can make the shape for it. One thing you an do to add a little variety to it would be coloured pasta, which can be achieved with different foods. Drained, boiled spinach is generally used for green pasta, red pasta can be made with tomato puree, black with squid ink, or you can make a more yellow pasta with more egg yolks. All of these coloured pastas will need more flour, so be sure to adjust accordingly. Adding more egg yolks doesn't just make the flour more yellow, it enriches the pasta, and makes it richer, ideal for impressing someone.

Porridge

2012-02-08T19:38:00.001+00:00

A great start to the day, porridge is really easy to prepare, the only deciding factor is the attention you give it.

40g porridge oats
1/2 pint milk or water
pinch of salt
toppings

Step 1
Warm the milk/water in a saucepan before adding the porridge oats, then stir coninuously with a wooden spoon to avoid the oats sticking to the bottom of the saucepan. After 2 minutes remove the heat and stir in the salt, taste and add smore salt if needed. Add more milk/water if the porridge becomes too thick, or heat for longer if the porridge is not thick enough.

Step 2
Add the toppings and eat.

With porridge it is such a simple dish that so many things can go wrong if you don't pay attention. The best thing to do is to make sure you can attend to the porridge without interruption, as if the porridge burns on the bottom of the saucepan it will impair the taste. However, because porridge is such a simple dish you can enhance it in so many different ways. my most recent favourite has been adding half a teaspoon of vanilla extract to really change the taste, as it makes a much more flavoursome dish. Another way i used was to core and chop an apple and slowly cook it with some sugar and a tablespoon or two of water to make a sweet apple topping. Then, of course, there's always the sugar topping, of which i think brown goes best. Finally, if you want sweet porridge without adding the sugar topping you could always add a tablespoon of golden syrup to it while cooking.

A half teaspoon of this will make the porridge taste even nicer

Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Potatoes

2012-02-05T10:17:00.000+00:00

A slight variation of the classic roast potato

3-4 medium potatoes
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 medium sprigs of rosemary
vegetable oil
20g salted butter

Step 1
Peel and chop the potatoes, place into slightly salted boiling water until par-boiled. Drain the potatoes well and return to the pan, adding the butter a lid before shaking vigorously for 3 seconds.

Step 2
Meanwhile heat the vegetable oil in a roasting dish in the oven at about 220°C . Turn out the potatoes into the roasting dish and place into the oven for about 40-50 minutes. Check regularly on the potatoes to turn them to ensure they get coated with oil and that they get crispy all over. About halfway through the cooking time add the rosemary and garlic.

This recipe is a great variation of the classic roast potato and well worth trying out. The rosemary in them makes them a great accompaniment to dishes involving lamb and ham/gammon.

Spiced Gammon

2012-02-04T16:25:00.004+00:00

A good bit of ham is really nice, and can last you a few meals if you plan sensibly. The joint I'm making will be going into a roast, with a cous cous salad, and into a soup. Even then there should be more left over for sandwiches and wraps.

1 gammon joint
1 tbsp fennel seeds
2 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp olive oil
8-10 cloves
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped

Step 1
Using a pestle and mortar grind up the fennel, peppercorns, cumin, cloves, and coriander. Once as fine as you can manage add the olive oil and mix well, smear the gammon joint well with the paste, and put the joint into a preheated oven at 240°C for 30 minutes.

Step 2
Remove the joint from the oven, and allow to cool slightly. Using a sharp knife, score the top of the joint and put the chopped garlic in the cuts and rub the rest of the paste into the cuts before returning to the oven for 1 hour, testing the joint by inserting a skewer to the centre of the joint to test if the juices run clear.

Step 3
Cover the gammon and leave to stand for 20-30 minutes to allow for the juices to settle. Then carve and enjoy.

This mkes an exceedingly tasty piece of gammon. Adding herbs and spices to meats enriches the flavour, and lets you try out different things with the meat. A large joint will take longer to cook, while a small one will take less time. This goes very well with the roasted garlic and rosemary potatoes and fries egg.

Gammon with the Garlic and rosemary potatoes, fried egg and peas and sweetcorn

Pasta with Three Herb Sauce

2012-01-31T22:28:00.000+00:00

This recipe calls for spaghetti, but you can use whatever pasta you have lying around instead. it's quite a light dish, so you may want a side of something with it, perhaps a bit of garlic bread.

3 tablespoons parsley
1tablespoon taragon
2 tablespoons basil
30ml chicken stock
juice of half a lemon
1 large garlic clove, crushed
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons dry white wine
salt and pepper to season
100g pasta per person

Step 1
Chop the herbs and add to a food processor with the oil, wine, garlic, stock and seasoning. Puree until smooth. Meanwhile boil some lightly salted water and add the pasta and cook until tender.

Step 2
Drain the pasta well and set aside, add the sauce to an empty saucepan and cook on a high heat for just about 1 minute. Add the pasta, shake or mix to coat well, and serve.

The pasta with Garlic Bread

Treacle Sponge Pudding

2012-01-30T20:47:00.000+00:00

This is a deliciously simple pudding that really tastes great. You can really let yourself go crazy if you want to change it, as the simplicity of it makes it so easy to make little alterations. The most common variations include using orange or lemon rind, or syrup instead of treacle, and adding dried fruits.

200g self-raising flour
200g soft light brown sugar
200g butter, softened
1 heaped tsp baking powder
1 tbsp treacle
3 tbsp golden syrup
3 large eggs

Step 1
Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl, then add the butter, eggs, treacle and sugar. Mix well with an electric whisk, or whisk, until smooth. Lightly grease a pudding basin with butter, and spoon the syrup into the pudding basin before adding the mixture.

Step 2
Seal the lid and wrap the pudding basin in tin foil, and steam the pudding for 2 hours, checking occasionally on the water level to make sure that it doesn't boil dry.

In the pudding I've made there's no treacle, and there's a little grated lemon rind in the pudding itself. Now if you like a lot of sauce you can make a separate sauce for the pudding out of golden syrup, a bit of water, treacle, sugar, etc. I made mine with golden syrup, lemon juice, and chopped apricots.