Tag: recipes

500g lamb mince
100g of stale breadcrumbs
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp chili powder
a good grind of black pepper
1 medium onion coarsely grated.

Mix thoroughly using a rubber spatula and then place back into the fridge to chill.
Mince the chilled ingredients again through the finest plate which should render a smooth, meaty pâté. In making something like a hamburger you want to keep the mixture loose to allow a good texture when cooked; with doner meat we’re looking for as near a homogenous slab of flavoured protein as possible so you can’t overwork it – as long as the whole thing remains as cold as possible so the fat can’t escape.

You could cook the meat in a regular terrine dish but bear with me here. Honestly it’s worth it.

Clean an empty, standard 1lb tin and line with two layers of cling film. Be careful of the edge, it’s lethal. Work the chilled mixture quickly through your fingers until it looks more homogeneous then form into fat burger shapes that will just fit into the tin. In the real thing, discs of the paste are piled onto a skewer which gives the shape and a slight horizontal grain structure. We’ll try to keep to that idea. Pack the pucks into the tin and then close the cling film tightly to seal the top.

Stand the tin in the bottom of a big casserole and add boiling water to about half its depth. Put into a medium oven, around 150C, and cook until the internal temperature reaches 75C – mine took around an hour and a half – then turn the oven off and leave for 15 minutes while you prepare a salad mix, like a dry coleslaw, heavy on the white cabbage, dressed with lemon.

Turn out and unwrap your mini-elephant leg and trim the bottom so it will stand on end on an oven tray or metal plate.

To serve, play a blowtorch over the surface of the meat and then slice vertically, stabilising the cylinder with a carving fork if necessary.

12 boneless skinless chicken thighs
zest and juice of a lemon
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp oregano
2 tsp smoked paprika
big old glug olive oil
large bunch parsley, chopped
pitta bread, dill yogurt sauce and tomato, onion & cucumber salad to serve (see below)

Combine the ingredients for the marinade in a big bowl. Add the chicken and coat in the marinade. Cover and put in the fridge for a few hours.

Push each piece of chicken onto two metal skewers. Push the meat on really tight.

Cook in the oven at 180Cfan/200C for about 50 minutes, turning occasionally, basting with the fatty juices. This can also be cooked on the BBQ.

Check it’s cooked through, remove from the oven, cover with some foil and leave for 20 minutes. Meanwhile make the sauce – combine 2 parts of greek yogurt with one part mayo, add a big handful of chopped dill and season. Make the salad by chopping up some deseeded cucumber, tomato and red onion and adding some lemon juice and seasoning.

To serve, stuff some warmed pitta with sliced chicken, topped with the salad and creamy sauce.

Just like you get in the ‘Happy Doner Kebab House of Happiness’ on the High street, next to the pub.

Tater tots are baked until super crispy and then topped with seasoned beef, cheese sauce, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, green onion and crumbled bacon. It’s pure junk food heaven.

INGREDIENTS:
* 1 large bag gluten-free frozen tater tots (get the extra crispy variety if you can find them)
* 3-4 slices bacon
* 1/2 onion, finely chopped
* 1 lb very lean ground beef
* 1 Tablespoon chili powder
* 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1/2 teaspoon paprika
* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon oregano
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
* grated cheddar
* salsa
* guacamole
* sour cream
* several green onions, finely chopped

Prepare the tater tots using the oven method instructions on the package. Err on the side of overbaking because you’ll be adding a lot of wet toppings, and you want the tots to remain as crunchy as possible.

While the tater tots are baking, fry the bacon until crisp in a large frying pan. Remove and set aside to cool. Ladle out all but about 1 Tablespoon of the bacon grease. Add the onion to the frying pan and cook over medium heat until softened. Add the beef and stir to mix. Once the beef is no longer pink, add the chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir to incorporate and then cook several additional minutes until the flavors have melded and the meat is cooked through.

Once the tater tots have finished baking, use tongs or a spoon to transfer to a large platter or individual plates. Top with the seasoned beef, cheese, salsa, guacamole, sour cream and green onions. Crumble the bacon over the top and serve immediately.

Beef Stroganoff first appeared in Russian cookbooks in the mid 1800s, presumably named for a prominent member of the Stroganoff family. The dish became popular in the U.S. in the 1950s from servicemen returning from Europe and China after WWII.

If you substitute yogurt for the sour cream, use full fat yogurt, and make sure to take the pan off the heat before stirring it in or it may curdle.

70g butter
500g of top sirloin or tenderloin, cut thin
1/3 cup chopped shallots (can substitute onions)
250g button mushrooms, sliced
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp of dry tarragon or 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh tarragon
1 cup of sour cream at room temperature

1 Melt half of butter in a large skillet on medium heat. Increase the heat to high/med-high and add the strips of beef. You want to cook the beef quickly, browning on each side, so the temp needs to be high enough to brown the beef, but not so high as to burn the butter. You may need to work in batches. While cooking the beef, sprinkle with some salt and pepper. When both sides are browned, remove the beef to a bowl and set aside.

2 In the same pan, reduce the heat to medium and add the shallots. Cook the shallots for a minute or two, allowing them to soak up any meat drippings. Remove the shallots to the same bowl as the meat and set aside.

3 In the same pan, melt last of the butter. Increase heat to medium high and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 4 minutes. While cooking, sprinkle the nutmeg and the tarragon on the mushrooms.

4 Reduce the heat to low and add the sour cream to the mushrooms. You may want to add a tablespoon or two of water or stock to thin the sauce (or not). Mix in the sour cream thoroughly. Do not let it come to a simmer or boil or the sour cream may curdle. Stir in the beef and shallots. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve immediately over egg noodles, mashed potatoes, or rice.

1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
1 tsp honey
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
4 175g skinless salmon fillets
Freshly ground pepper
Coriander leaves, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 175°C.

In a small saucepan, combine the soy sauce and ginger and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in the honey and mustard.

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick ovenproof skillet. Season the salmon with pepper and add it to the skillet, skinned side up. Cook over high heat until golden and crusty, 2 to 3 minutes.

Turn the salmon and spoon the ginger-soy glaze on top. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake the salmon for 5 minutes, or until cooked through.

Using a slotted spatula, transfer the salmon fillets to plates, garnish with the coriander and serve with boiled potatoes or wild rice.

– 4x175g/6oz thick cod or haddock fillets, taken from the head end rather than the tail end of the fish
– 225g/8oz self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
– salt and freshly ground black pepper
– 300ml/10fl oz fridge-cold lager

– 6-8 large floury potatoes, such as maris piper, king edward, desiree (depending on how hungry you are)

1. Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2 and preheat the dripping or oil to 120C/250F.
2. For the chips, peel the potatoes and cut into whatever size you prefer. Wash well in cold water, drain and pat dry with a clean tea towel. Put the potatoes into the fryer and allow them to fry gently for about 8-10 minutes, until they are soft but still pale. Check they’re cooked by piercing with a small, sharp knife. Lift out of the pan and leave to cool slightly on greaseproof paper.
3. Increase the heat of the fryer to 180C/350F.
4. Season the fish and dust lightly with flour; this enables the batter to stick to the fish.
5. To make the batter, sift the flour and a pinch of salt into a large bowl and whisk in the lager to give a thick batter, adding a little extra beer if it seems over-thick. It should be the consistency of very thick double cream and should coat the back of a wooden spoon. Season with salt and thickly coat 2 of the fillets with the batter. Carefully place in the hot fat and cook for 8-10 minutes until golden and crispy. Remove from the pan, drain and sit on a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper, then keep warm in the oven while you cook the remaining 2 fillets in the same way.
6. Once the fish is cooked, return the chips to the fryer and cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden and crispy. Shake off any excess fat and season with salt before serving with the crispy fish. If liked, you can serve with tinned mushy peas and bread and butter, for the authentic experience!

1/4 cup oil (olive or canola)
4 medium yellow onions, finely chopped (about 4 cups)
Pinch of salt
1 vegetable stock pot
2 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)
2 cups plain Greek-style yogurt (either no-, low-, or full-fat)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt (either table salt or celery salt) or to taste

Add the oil and onions along with a big pinch of salt to a large sauté pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until onions caramelize into a deep brown color. This may take 15 minutes or more. You may need to add a splash of water or wine towards the end if the onions begin to burn.

When the onions are done, turn off the heat and stir in the stock pot. Strip the leaves from the two sprigs of thyme and add to the onions. Let cool.

In a bowl, mix the cooled onions and the yogurt until blended. Stir in several turns of freshly ground black pepper. Taste for salt. If you are serving this with salted chips, be sure to use one for your final tasting so you can adjust accordingly.

Serve garnished with a sprig of thyme and surrounded by your dippers of choice (see below). This dip can be made a day in advance, kept well-covered in the refrigerator.

Recipe Notes
The thyme and celery salt are optional, but I really like the bright, vegetal quality they offer to the dip.

The dip tastes better if it’s given several hours for the flavors to blend. It can even be made the day before with excellent results.

The onions can be caramelized a day or two in advance as well. Follow the recipe through Step 2 then place the cooled onions in a container, cover, and refrigerate until needed.

The texture of the dip calls for finely chopped onions. This means they will cook more quickly and burn more easily than larger cuts of onion when caramelizing, so keep an eye on them, stirring frequently. It also helps to keep a little water or wine nearby so the pan can be quickly deglazed and cooled if the onions start to scorch.

Potato chips are the classic dipping vehicle but fresh vegetables such as carrot and celery sticks, cut up bell pepper strips, radishes, and so on are great.

A festive, paprika-seasoned version of the traditional sausage and potato pie.

Serves 4
onion 1 medium – large, thinly sliced
butter 30g
chorizo 500g
parsley 4 tbsp, chopped
sage 4 leaves, chopped
potatoes 600g

Line a heatproof, china terrine with clingfilm, pushing it well into the corners, leaving plenty overhanging the sides.

Peel and thinly slice the onions, then cook them in the butter in a shallow pan till they soften and turn pale gold. Skin and crumble the chorizo into the softened onions and continue cooking for a couple of minutes. Stir in the chopped parsley and sage leaves.

Set the oven at 180C/gas mark 4. Wash and thinly slice the potatoes. Cover the base of the terrine with slices of potato, season with salt and pepper, then a layer of onions and chorizo, then another of potato and so on, till all is finished, ending with potato. Cover the top with the overhanging film.

Place the terrine in a roasting tin, pour hot water in to come half way up the sides and cover with a heavy weight before baking for 1.5 hours. Leave to rest for 20 minutes before turning out and removing the clingfilm.

4 parts ground coriander
2 parts ground turmeric
2 parts ground yellow mustard powder
2 parts chile powder*
1 parts cayenne powder
1 parts ground cumin
1/2 parts ground cardamom

* The chili powder that I use is literally that — ground up chili peppers. It does not have any cumin, oregano, or other spices that are typically in chili powders. I realize that this ingredient could be confusing, since what I use as chili powder may not be what others use. You can always skip the chili powder and add in extra cayenne or another form of dried pepper. Or, add in the chili powder you have on hand.

Makes 4

6 eggs
200g plain sausagemeat
200g pork mince
3 tbsp chopped mixed herbs (I like chives, sage, parsley and thyme)
A pinch of ground mace
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
Splash of milk
50g flour
100g panko breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil, to cook

1. Put four of the eggs into a pan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for five minutes, then put straight into a large bowl of iced water for at least 10 minutes.

2. Put the meat, herbs, mace and mustard into a bowl, season and mix well with your hands. Divide into four.

3. Carefully peel the eggs. Beat the two raw eggs together in a bowl with a splash of milk. Put the flour in a second bowl and season, then tip the breadcrumbs into a third bowl. Arrange in an assembly line.

4. Put a square of clingfilm on the worksurface, and flour lightly. Put one of the meatballs in the centre, and flour lightly, then put another square of cling film on top. Roll out the meat until large enough to encase an egg and remove the top sheet of clingfilm.

5. To assemble the egg, roll one peeled egg in flour, then put in the centre of the meat. Bring up the sides of the film to encase it, and smooth it into an egg shape with your hands. Dip each egg in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, then egg and then breadcrumbs.

6. Fill a large pan a third full of vegetable oil, and heat to 170C (or when a crumb of bread sizzles and turns golden, but does not burn, when dropped in it). Cook the eggs a couple at a time, for seven minutes, until crisp and golden, then drain on kitchen paper before serving.

(*) According to the Guardian