Tag: recipes

[Recipe] Roasted rabbit stew

March 9, 2010 admin

1 rabbit, jointed in 6 portions
6 sausages, cut in chunks
6 rashers smoked bacon, cubed
6 large roma tomatoes, cut in segments
4 onions, sliced
3 bay leaves
1 rosemary sprig
500ml white wine
salt, pepper
olive oil

0. Preheat oven to 180C.
1. Brown the rabbit pieces in olive oil on high heat in an oven-proof pot. Remove and set aside.
2. Reduce heat. Brown bacon, sausages and onions in some more olive oil until well caramelised.
3. Deglaze with wine. Add rabbit pieces, tomato segments and herbs. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Roast in oven for 1 hour.
5. Remove rabbit pieces and set aside. Return pot to oven for another 20 minutes to further stew the vegetables.
6. Check stew seasoning. Place rabbit pieces on top of stew and return pot to oven for 10 minutes to re-heat.

I used honey and wholegrain mustard sausages we get from the Giggly Pig people at the market and a nice Riesling for the wine. All in all, a very good first try and the recipe.

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[Recipe] Baked Camembert

February 15, 2010 admin

Based on a recipe from Nigel Slater. Pure indulgence, this. As the Camembert bakes, the cheese underneath the crust becomes a hot, creamy, sticky, smelly, bubbling pool.

Ingredients:

a whole small Camembert in it’s wooden box
a little white wine

Method:

Take the cheese from it’s wooden box and remove the paper wrapping. Push the cheese back into the box.

Make half a dozen tiny holes in the rind and drizzle a little white wine into them. Just a few drops. Replace the lid. Bake in an oven preheated to 200ºC for twenty-five or until hot and bubbling.

While the cheese is cooking put the potatoes on to boil in salted water. Serve the melted cheese in its box, dipping in the spuds or some gherkins, or simply a chunk or two of very crusty bread.

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[Recipe] Won ton soup

February 15, 2010August 28, 2019 admin

The name won ton means swallowing a cloud, and the wonton floating in this popular soup are thought to resemble clouds. This recipe for Won ton soup serves 4. You can get most of the ingredients in a good asian supermarket. Get frozen won ton wrappers, they cost next to nothing and will save you a lot of hassle.

won ton wrappers
1/2 pound boneless lean pork, chopped finely
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine, mirin or rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 green onion, finely minced
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 dashes of pepper
1 small knob of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated

Combine all the filling ingredients in a bowl, mixing well. Lay one won ton skin in front of you. Cover the remaining won ton skins with a damp towel to keep them from drying out.

Filling the won tons:

Moisten all the edges of the won ton wrapper with water. Place a heaping teaspoon of won ton filling in the center. Fold the won ton wrapper in half lengthwise, making sure the ends meet. Press down firmly on the ends to seal.

wonton1

Use thumbs to push down on the edges of the filling to center it.

wonton2

Keeping thumbs in place, fold over the won ton wrapper one more time.

wonton3

Push the corners up and hold in place between your thumb and index finger.

wonton4

Wet the corners with your fingers. Bring the two ends together so that they overlap. Press to seal.

wonton5

The finished product should resemble a nurse’s cap.

wonton6

Repeat with remaining won tons.

Here’s a video with a similar way to fold won tons:

Boiling the won tons:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the won tons, making sure there is enough room for them to move about freely. Let the won tons boil for 5 – 8 minutes, until they rise to the top and the filling is cooked through. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon.

To make the soup:

Bring the 1L of chicken stock to a boil. Add the won tons and bring the soup back to a boil. Add the green onion, remove the pot from the heat. Ladle into soup bowls, allowing 6 won tons per person.

Optionally, you can also add sliced bok choi and thinly sliced red pepper to the stock.

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[Recipe] Dashi, Chawan mushi and Dobin mushi

February 15, 2010 admin

Note: I really wanted to trying my hand at the recipes I found online on the Steamy Kitchen blog. I’ve copied some of the pictures for the Dashi Stock in case that particular entry goes away.

Dashi Stock

4 cups water
6-inch piece kombu or kelp (I had to improvise with the materials at hand and used 4 kelp knots)
2 handfuls of katsuobushi or bonito flakes (about 2 cups loosely packed)

To make dashi, use large bonito flakes or katsuobushi. They come in a big package at the Asian market. Look for the big flakes. The little flakes are for garnishing. Big flakes should be the size of a cornflake.

You’ll also need a 6-inch piece of dried kelp (seaweed) or kombu for dashi. They usually come long, folded and then dried. You’ll only need 6-inches and just a single layer, so break it apart.

Do not soak the kelp or even rinse it. Just take a damp cloth and wipe it down to clean any dirt off the seaweed. Add the kelp to water and turn the heat to medium-low.

Just before it comes to a boil, add two big handfuls of bonito flakes, stir and turn off the heat immediately.

Leave it to seep until the bonito flakes start to fall to the bottom of the pan, then strain.

The stock can be used now or frozen (use within one month).

Chawan mushi

I first had this in a Japanese restaurant in London and it was bloody marvellous. It’s a very light and silky steamed egg custard that is traditionally served in a lidded cup but can just easily as well be done in a ramekin.

This recipe serves 2 or 3, depending on the size of the cup/ramekin being used.

2 eggs
1.5 cups dashi stock
1 tablespoon light colored Japanese style soy sauce
1 teaspoon mirin
1 sliced shiitake mushroom
2-3 asparagus spears, sliced into pieces about 2 inches long.
2-3 shrimp, cleaned and deveined

Combine egg, dashi stock, soy sauce and mirin in a bowl and with smooth strokes, gently beat with chopsticks. Try not to create too much froth, because you don’t want a lot of air bubbles in your custard. Strain egg mixture through cheesecloth or strainer.

Divide egg mixture among the chawan mushi cups.

Add a few slices of mushroom, one shrimp, and an asparagus piece (using an end piece that includes the pointy tip looks best) to each cup. Cover with lids if using chawan mushi cups, or cover with foil if using the ramekins or teacups.

Place cups into steamer basket. Steam on high heat for 2 minutes, then reduce heat to low for another 10-12 minutes.

Test the surface with toothpick or skewer to check doneness…some clear liquid should form on top when prodded. Custard should be smooth and soft but not super firm. Don’t worry if it doesn’t look completely gelled, it is supposed to be a silken consistency. If it looks underdone, just keep on the steamer and re-cover, checking back at 1-2 minute intervals until it reaches the desired consistency.

chawanmushi

Dobin mushi

Dobin mushi is a soup that is cooked and served in a teapot. You should first pour out and drink the broth while enjoying the bits left in the pot.

For two people:

2 tiger prawns, cleaned and deveined
2 king scallops, without roe, cut in halves
2ounces of white fish, cut into thin slices (I had cod)
1/2 carrot, sliced thinly
2 asparagus, sliced in 2 inch lengths
2 mushrooms, cut into slices.
1 tbsp soy sauce

Matsutake mushrooms are very traditional in this dish, but they cost a small fortune and aren’t that easy to get a hold of. I used some shiitake mushrooms and it came out quite nicely.

Place all the ingredients into the teapot. Ladle in some dashi stock (enough to cover) and add the soy sauce and a sliver of lime peel.

dobinmushi

Steam for 8-10 minutes (longer if you have chicken or other meats that require longer to fully cook).

Serve immediately. You can add a twist of yuzu or lime if you want to add a zing of freshness.

dobinmushi

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[Recipe] Chocolate tart

February 15, 2010 admin

This recipe comes from the Rachel Allen ‘Bake’ book. It originally calls for a 9″ sweet pastry case but I cheated and used two 6″ pre-cooked tart shells from Tesco.

For the tart:

175 ml (6 fl oz) double cream
125 ml (4 fl oz) milk
125g (4 -1/2 oz) milk chocolate, chopped
175g (6 oz) good quality dark chocolate, chopped
2 eggs, well beaten
250g (9 oz) sugar-coated chocolate eggs, to decorate

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180C.

2. Heat the cream and milk in a saucepan to boiling point then immediately take off the heat and stir in the chocolate to melt. Allow to cool slightly for a few minutes, then stir in the beaten eggs.

3. Pour the chocolate mixture into the baked pastry case and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until just softly set.

4. Allow the tart to cool for 20 minutes before removing from the tin.

5. Decorate with sugar-coated chocolate eggs.

chocolate tart

A few notes for future reference. I used Green&Blacks milk and 70% dark in the quantities described in the recipe. It came out a bit too dark chocolaty for my taste, but I think that’s because the G&B milk has a higher cocoa level than traditional milk chocolate. Next time, if I use G&B again, I’ll go half-and-half.

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[Recipe] Stuffed turkey breast

November 10, 2009November 10, 2009 admin

I tried this last weekend, as a practice run for our xmas roast.

Start with a 2.5 kg turkey breast from our local butcher and cut it open.

Stuff it with 500g of sausage meat and one envelope of Paxo stuffing.

Roll it and tie it back together and season with pepper and rosemary.

Top it with latticed bacon and give it a good glug of lemon-infused olive oil and leave it overnight in the fridge.

The following morning, put it in a roasting pan, add about an inch of water to the pan and put two large pats of butter on top of the roast to keep it moist while cooking.

Make a tent out of foil and place it over the turkey breast to hold in heat for even cooking. Remove it during the last hour of cooking for a nice golden brown colour.

Check the water level periodically and add more water if needed.

Cook in a pre-heated oven at 170oC

The typical turkey breast cooking times for thawed turkey breast in a conventional oven are:

* 2 to 3 pounds – 1.5 to 2 hours
* 4 to 6 pounds – 2.5 to 3 hours
* 7 to 8 pounds – 3 to 4 hours

Cook until the internal meat temperature is above 165oF and the juices run clear. (Took us about 2.5 hours in a fan-assisted oven)

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[Recipe] Fish cakes

September 10, 2009 admin

We had leftover veg from making food for the beastie so I decided to get creative.

I mixed the mashed root veg (potatoes, carrots, swede) with a tin of flaked tuna, some grated mature cheddar, a bit of tabasco, some parsley, onion salt, pepper, and some breadcrumbs to thicken the mix. After forming into patties, dredging in egg wash and coating with breadcrumbs seasoned with paprika, I pan fried on both sides to color the cakes then finished them in the oven for 15 minutes at 220. Very nummy indeed!

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Meat + flame = GOOD!

June 3, 2009 admin

With the weather being so nice recently, the BBQ has had a good dusting off and has seen more usage in the last week than in the last year :) I think that having it so close to the back patio door will be a good thing. We had Bratwurst, veggie kebabs and steak last Sunday and we had BBQ chicken salad last night. If the weather holds out for tonight, it’s going to be burgers :)

Oh, and as a side note, makes a really good BBQ sauce :)

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[Recipe] Seared Tuna Nicoise salad

May 28, 2009 admin

Salad

* 450g baby new potatoes
* 300g fine French beans
* pitted green olives, sliced in half
* cucumber, cut in slices
* red onion, sliced into rings
* radishes, sliced thinly
* Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
* Classic vinaigrette
* 2 baby gem lettuce, separated into leaves
* 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for frying
* tuna loin steaks, about 100g each
* 2 large eggs

vinaigrette

* 125ml extra virgin olive oil
* Juice of ½ a lemon
* chopped chives

method

1. Boil the potatoes for 10-12 minutes until tender. Drain well then halve. Splash with olive oil and sprinkle with chives and sea salt. Leave to cool. Trim the beans then cook in boiling salted water for 2 minutes. Drain and refresh in iced water. Drain well once more and pat dry.

2. Mix the potatoes and beans with the lettuce, radishes, olives, cucumber and onions. Whisk the ingredients for the vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper. Toss the vegetables in some of the vinaigrette.

3. Heat a large non-stick frying pan until you can feel a good heat rising. Add 1 tbsp of the oil then lay in the tuna steaks. Season with sea salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes on each side until they feel slightly springy when pressed. The tuna should still be pink in the middle. Cut each steak in half and place on top of the salad.

4. Place the eggs in to a pan of boiling water and cook for 6 minutes (for a well set white and runny yolk). Plunge the eggs into iced cold water to prevent them from cooking further. Once cooled, roll the egg on the work surface, gently applying pressure so the shell begins to crack, then peel off the shell.

5. Place the eggs on top of the tuna and cut in half, to reveal the soft runny yolk.

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Profiteroles

April 14, 2009April 14, 2009 admin

profiteroles!

Choux Pastry
75g butter, cubed
115g plain flour
3 medium eggs, beaten

Whipped Cream
1 vanilla pod, split
500ml double cream
3 tsp icing sugar
Cointreau, to taste

Chocolate Sauce
100g dark chocolate
15g unsalted butter
3 tbsp milk
Cointreau, to taste

Method

1. First make the choux pastry. Put the butter into a medium saucepan with 200ml cold water and bring to the boil, melting the butter. Once it has melted, tip in all the flour and a pinch of salt, then remove the pan from the heat. Using a wooden spoon, beat the mixture really well for about 20 seconds until it comes away from the sides of the pan and forms a ball. Leave to cool completely. You can transfer it to a bowl if you want to speed things up.
2. Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6. Once the pastry mixture has cooled, start beating in the eggs, a little at a time, until it is shiny and of reluctant dropping consistency. You may not need to add every last drop of the egg to reach this stage, so stop when it gets to the correct consistency. To test this, scoop some of the mixture onto your spoon: it should need a small nudge before dropping off and falling back into the pan. If it needs a flick of the wrist to help it slide off the spoon, then you should beat in a little more egg.
3. Line the baking sheets with the parchment. Pipe 20 walnut-sized blobs onto the sheets, spaced evenly apart or spoon them out and smooth into balls with a wet finger. Bake on the top shelf of the oven for 30–40 minutes. However tempted you are, do not open the door until at least 25 minutes have passed. The profiteroles should appear golden-brown; also, tap them to see if they are firm – they should sound hollow. Once ready, remove them from the oven and, using a skewer, make a hole, big enough to take the 7mm piping nozzle, in the side of each one. Bake for 5 more minutes to dry out the insides, then cool on a wire rack.
4. While the choux pastry is in the oven, make a start on the cream. Scrape the beans from the vanilla pod into a pan with the cream. Sieve in the icing sugar and whisk until strong peaks form. Chill it in the fridge until ready to use.
5. To make the chocolate sauce, first chop the chocolate. Using a double boiler, melt chocolate, butter and milk until smooth. Be careful to not scald the chocolate.
6. To assemble, fill the piping bag with the thick cream and squeeze a little into each bun. Don’t fill them any more than 2 hours ahead: they’ll go soggy if left standing for too long.
7. Pile up the profiteroles in a dish and pour over the hot chocolate sauce.

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