Tag: recipes

[Recipe] Hmmmm, pie!

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This is a recipe I saw being made on BBC's Saturday Kitchen and I just had to make it. So good! I tweaked it to make it my own, but it still turned out wonderful.

500g/1lb2oz potatoes
300g/10oz rump steak, cut into 1cm/0.5in dice or strips
4 onions, peeled and chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
sage
bisto
splash of red wine
2 eggs, beaten

Method
1. Peel and slice the potatoes and boil them in salted water for 10 minutes until parboiled. Drain and put to one side.
2. In a hot pan, sear the beef until well browned, then remove from the pan. Cook the onions until brown and softened and add the beef.
3. Mix bisto in some water. Add to beef/onions and add splash of red wine. Reduce until well thick.
4. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Lay the sliced potatoes on the bottom circle of pastry leaving a 3.5cm/1margin around the edge.
5. Season the potato slices as you layer them on top of the pastry – you should end up with a layer of potatoes about 2.5cm/1in thick. Now spoon the moist beef and onion mix over the top and spread it out. If you have reduced it enough, the juices will not run off the edges.
6. Lay the other circle of pastry on top and crimp the edges well.
7. Brush liberally with egg wash and score any pattern you like into the pastry. Cut a tiny hole in the top to allow steam to escape and bake for 30 minutes.

Shortcrust pastry:

225g/8oz plain flour
tsp salt
65g/2chilled butter, cut into pieces
65g/2chilled lard, cut into pieces
1tbsp cold water

Method
Sift the flour and salt into a food processor or a mixing bowl. Add the pieces of chilled butter and lard and work together until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the water with a round bladed knife until it comes together into a ball, turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly until smooth. Roll out on a little more flour and use as required.

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[Recipe] Tomato Chutney

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2.5 kg tomatoes (blanched, peeled and grossly chopped)
1 head of celery
6 onions, chopped (I like to mix white and red onions)
3 granny smith apples, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup salt

Mix everything together and let sit for 2 hours, then drain to remove as much liquid as possible. Once that's done, add:

1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp ground black pepper

Mix together 1 cup and 1 cup white vinegar in a bowl. Add just enough to fully cover the veggies. If you need some more, mix up another batch of sugar/vinegar in a 1:1 ratio. Once the veggies are just covered, add another 3/4 cup sugar.

Bring to a simmer and cook for 3 hours, mixing regularly. Adjust sweetness/tartness to taste while it's cooking. Once it's done, put in sterilized pots.

To sterilize pots (I use jam jars, but mason jars work just as well), wash in warm soapy water, rinse with very hot water, place upside down on a baking tin and leave in a medium oven for 15 minutes. Boil lids. Fill while warm and cover promptly. Tighten lid and Bob's your uncle.

PS: For a bit more of a kick, you can add one or two finely chopped chilies.

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[Recipe] Salsa

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2.5 kg tomatoes (blanched, peeled and grossly chopped and drained)
2 large onions, diced
2 green peppers, diced
2 red peppers, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
6 hot peppers, chopped (I use jalapeno, but you can use finger chilies for a bit more oomph! Remove the pepper seeds to tone down the heat)
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup white sugar
2 tbsp salt
zest and juice of 2 limes
large clump of fresh coriander leaves.

Mix everything except the lime and coriander. Bring to a boil while stirring. Cook uncovered for 15-20 minutes, until thickened. Add lime juice and coriander. Cook for another 5 minutes.

Put in sterilized pots. Store forever in a cool dry place.

To sterilize pots (I use jam jars, but mason jars work just as well), wash in warm soapy water, rinse with very hot water, place upside down on a baking tin and leave in a medium oven for 15 minutes. Boil lids. Fill while warm and cover promptly. Tighten lid and Bob's your uncle.

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Best salad evar!

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I made the best salad evar last night. It had:

romaine lettuce
shredded carrots
slivers of red peppers
slivers of green peppers
slivers cucumber
spring onions
coriander leaves
cheese
fresh lemon juice
fresh lime juice
a splash of olive oil
salt & pepper

but the kicker was that I put sliced turkey breasts that had been sauteed, then lightly glazed with some honey and white wine vinegar.

A lurvely mix of warm and cold, sweet and tangy, moist and crunchy.

try it!

now! now! now!

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Hmmm, salad!

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ooooh, baby! I made the best ceasar salad I've ever done tonight. A full head of baby romaine, half a cucumber, homemade ciabatta croutons, roast turkey breast, parmesan and homemade dressing. hmmmmm!

Croutons:

half a ciabatta loaf, diced. Drizzle olive oil, sprinkle with oregano and bake in the oven at 400F for 10 minutes.

Dressing:

2 soft boiled egg yolks (the recipe says to use raw, but last time we did that, we had a nasty surprise so I had the brilliant idea to use softboiled), olive oil, vinegar, dijon mustard, salt and pepper.

Serve it with a Katy-sized glass of south African rose and vienneta for dessert. Hooah, food porn!

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[Recipe] Quiche and indian cabbage

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Indian spicy cabbage
1 small white cabbage shredded
3 medium carrots cut into thin strips
2 hot (finger) chillies
1/4 tsp of tumeric
1 tsp of mustard seeds
salt to taste
lemon juice
olive oil

Put enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan and heat. Put mustard seeds and cover. When they start to pop add cabbage, carrots and chillies and mix. Add salt to taste and tumeric powder and add a little water and mix thoroughly and cover the pan. Let the mixture cook in the steam for about 5 to 10 mins but stir every now and again. When the mixture is half cooked, add lemon juice to taste and stir and put it aside till needed. Can be eaten cold or warmed up in microwave.

Quiche
For the pastry
175g/6oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
salt
75g/2butter, plus extra for greasing
olive oil
milk

For the filling
250g/9oz English cheddar, grated
200g/7oz bacon, chopped
5 eggs, beaten
100ml/3oz milk
200ml/7fl oz double cream
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Mushrooms, diced
onion, chopped

1. To make the pastry, sift the flour together with a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Rub in the butter until you have a soft breadcrumb texture. Add enough milk to make the crumb mixture come together to form a firm dough, baste with olive oil and then rest it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
2. Roll out the pastry on a light floured surface and line a 22cm/8well-buttered flan dish. Don't cut off the edges of the pastry yet. Chill again.
3. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.
4. Remove the pastry case from the fridge and line the base of the pastry with baking parchment and then fill it with baking beans. Place on a baking tray and bake blind for 20 minutes. Remove the beans and parchment and return to the oven for another five minutes to cook the base
5.While the base is cooking, saute the bacon. When almost done, add in the onions and mushrooms and cook until tender.
6. When the crust is done, reduce the temperature of the oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3.
7. Pour savoury mix into the crust. Combine the eggs with the cheese, milk and cream in a bowl and season well. Pour over the bacon and veggies.
8. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool and set further.

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