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Individual Beef Wellingtons – delicious!

10 May

DSCI0625I remember the first time we had a Beef Wellington. I loved it but my husband, who hates to eat meat that is too pink or bloody, had to have his flashed off in the frying pan. When I saw this recipe I could feel my mouth watering but I was quite nervous about what my husband would think of it.  The steak is a fillet and it would have been criminal to overcook it so I decided to go with the recipe. Thankfully they turned out perfectly.  The Parma Ham prevented the pastry from having a soggy bottom and added a lovely flavour to the finished dish.  Fillet steak is obviously not cheap but it is well worth the money for such a beautiful dish. Perfect for a romantic meal for two or a dinner party for special friends.  I served mine with green vegetables as I felt there was enough starch in the pastry for a rounded meal.

The origin of the name is unclear. (Wikipedia)

There are theories that suggest that beef Wellington is named after Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. Some theories go a step further and suggest this was due to his love of a dish of beef, truffles, mushrooms, Madeira wine, and pâté cooked in pastry, but there is a noted lack of evidence supporting this. In addition to the dearth of evidence attaching this dish to the famous Duke, the earliest recorded recipe to bear this name appeared in a 1966 cookbook.

Other accounts simply credit the name to a patriotic chef wanting to give an English name to a variation on the French filet de bœuf en croûte during the Napoleonic Wars.

Still another theory is that the dish is not named after the Duke himself, but rather that the finished joint was thought to resemble a Wellington boot, a brown shiny military boot named after the duke.

Here is the link to the recipe:  http://www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/beef-wellingtons/4010.html 

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Egg curry, one of our favourites

2 May

DSCI0644Egg curry may not be the most popular with most people but it is one of my husbands favourites. I’ve tried a couple of recipes over the years but the one we both like the most is the one I am writing about today.  I have to say I was truly surprised at how delicious an egg curry can be but this is so lovely it has become a one of our regular meals. Anytime I have forgotten to take meat or fish out of the freezer or want a quick but tasty meal this is the one I turn to.  It would be very unusual for me not to have all the ingredients available at any time so this really is a convenience food for us but made from fresh ingredients so healthy too.

The recipe is one of Anjum Anard’s from her cookery book ‘Indian Every Day’ (ISBN 978-0-7553-1201-6).  I disregard the portion size she suggests and I have made some minor adjustments to cater for our appetites. Trust me, this is not too much for a medium to normal sized portion for two people.  I serve it with plain boiled rice and poppadoms. Absolutely lovely. You can make the sauce in advance and boil the eggs so that you can quickly complete the dish later in the day from Step 3.

Egg Curry               Serves 2

  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic crushed or 1/2 tsp garlic paste
  • 1/2 tsp ginger paste
  • 1 green chilli left whole
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 2 good pinches red chilli powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 small tomatoes, chopped
  • 200 ml hot water
  • 3 – 4 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled and halved
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves, crumbled
  • handful chopped coriander
  1. Heat the oil in a non stick frying pan and gently fry the onion until golden and soft, about 8 – 10 minutes
  2. Add the garlic, ginger, green chilli, coriander powder, turmeric, red chilli powder and salt. Stir to mix.
  3. Add the tomatoes and cook on a medium to high heat for 5 minutes until thickened.
  4. Add the water and bring to the boil.
  5. Carefully lower the egg halves into the sauce and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
  6. Sprinkle the garam masala, black pepper , fenugreek leaves and chopped coriander over the sauce and carefully mix in without breaking up the eggs.
  7. Serve hot with boiled rice.

 

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Briam – a Greek version of baked mediteranean vegetables. Delicious!

28 Apr

There are a host of recipes for roasting vegetables and most Mediterranean countries have their own speciality.  Briam is Greece’s offering to the mix.  It is unusual in that the vegetables cook slowly so that the tomatoes melt down and combine with the olive oil and onions to make a delicious sauce.  I have made this dish many times, we love it so much. It is hard to believe just how easy it is and yet pack such a punch with the flavours.  Whenever we go abroad, no matter where it is, we invariably have this to accompany a meal at least once and it is great to have with friends as all the cooking and preparing can be done well in advance. It is also a great dish to have in the winter, the flavours reminding you of the summer just gone and the promise of one to come.

Volumes have been written about the Greek diet and, before that, the Cretan diet. Based on a healthy lifestyle, the Greek diet makes the best use of natural and organic ingredients cooked without a heavy reliance on saturated fats and processed foods.  Traditional Greek cooking grew out of a rural lifestyle lived by people who were poor in the economic sense, but wealthy in imagination and creativity. A few basic guidelines ensure that Greek foods are at their very best in taste, nutrition, and economy.

  • Seasonal: Keep it Fresh – most Greeks shop daily and use whatever meat and vegetables that are in season.
  • Scratch: Start at the Beginning – Greek food is made from scratch, rarely using comercially made ingredients.
  • Simple: Fabulous Taste with Time-tested Methods – Greeks love to keep their food simple so that the flavours of the meat and vegetables are enhanced by herbs and spices rather than the latter taking over.
  • Slow: Don’t Rush It – for generations food has been cooked slowly in Greece and the aromas during cooking evokes memories of their mothers cooking and their Grandmothers before her.

The vegetables are cooking slowly in the oven and the smell is absolutely divine.  Here is the recipe.

Briam                                                                       Serves 4

  • 3 fl oz olive oil
  • 1 onion sliced
  • 2 red onions quartered
  • 4 medium-sized waxy potatoes, peeled and sliced into thick rings
  • 2 medium or 3 small courgettes, cut into 1/2in chunks
  • 4 medium-sized ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into rings
  • 1 green pepper, deseeded and cut into rings
  • 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • 1 tbsp. chopped fresh dill
  • 3 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 120ml/4 fl oz boiled water
  1. Preheat the oven to 170C/150C fan/Gas 4.  Heat 2 tbsp. of the oil in a frying pan and fry the sliced onion over a low heat until it is softened but has not turned colour.  Should take about 10 minutes.  Remove from the heat.
  2. Combine all the other vegetables, garlic, herbs and seasoning with the onions, in a large shallow ovenproof dish.  Add the water and drizzle with the remaining oil, toss well then cook for about 2 hours until the vegetables are tender and cooked through.  Turn them about every half an hour throughout this process.  When cooked remove from the oven and keep warm.  (These are best served warm rather than hot and can even be served cold the next day with a slice of feta cheese for lunch)

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Spicy tomato salsa – great for when friends come round.

20 Apr

This has to be the best salsa recipe I have ever made.  It is chunky and full of fresh flavour but has quite a bite.  It is fantastic served as a dip with tortilla chips and the leftovers can be used up for a fantastic lunch by scattering tortilla chips into a heat proof shallow dish, scattering the salsa over the top and topping with cheese (Gouda works well but cheddar is fine.  Put under the grill for a couple of minutes to let the cheese melt then serve hot with either sour cream or guacamole.  Fantastic!

The recipe came from a Cowboy Grill cookery book that my friend Joe bought for me when I returned to the UK after working for 6 glorious months in California.  Each recipe in the book is from the families and colleagues of some of the greatest cowboy actors and actresses , singers and filmmakers as well as some from real life cowboys, ranches and chuck wagons.  Joe bought me the book because of my love for cooking and my husband’s passion for cowboys.  What an innovative present!  Mind you, he was quite an innovative sort of bloke!  We often revisit the book for tried and tested recipes but this one is by far our favourite.

The recipe comes from the Grapevine Canyon Ranch in Pearce Arizona.  It always amazes me how easy it is to make, so much so I would never entertain the idea of buying salsa from the supermarket.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Spicy tomato salsa                                     Makes enough for 6 with leftovers

  • 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
  • 1 bunch spring onions, sliced into 1 cm chunks
  • 2 large green chillies, thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
  • 1 tsp dried cumin
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • tortilla chips to serve
  1. Put one tin of tomatoes , the coriander, chillies, salt, oregano, cumin and garlic powder into a food processor and whizz until the chillies are fine.  Mix in the second tin of tomatoes .
  2. Put the sliced spring onions in a serving dish and pour over the tomato mix.  Mix well then chill until ready to serve with tortilla chips.

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Chicken Oregano on the BBQ – just need the sunshine and you could be anywhere in the Med!

12 Apr

The first time we had this chicken dish was in Rhodes in the Spring.  I had just retired and we had rented a Villa for a month.  We cooked it on an old tin BBQ in the garden and I don’t think food ever tasted better.  Since then we have cooked it over and over again.  It is such a simple recipe and it never fails, unless of course you burn the chicken before it is cooked in the centre. Jamie Oliver has a top tip for BBQing chicken that prevents this. Butterfly the joint (pare the meat away from the bone so it is exposed).  The bone is then able to conduct the heat so that the chicken is cooked through without running the risk of having a burnt outside while the middle is still raw.  Works every time for us!

Before I share the recipes I am reminded of a great evening we spent with friends in Aegina.  I am sure I have mentioned Aegina before, and no doubt will do again.  It is, without doubt, one of our favourite Greek Islands.  Marc and Jane have a lovely house just outside of Aegina town and they had invited us to stay with them for a few days.  On this particular evening we were going to have a BBQ. Marc had made his own BBQ out of half an oil drum, a sight many that have been to Greece will be familiar with. He confessed that he was not very good at lighting the BBQ and that he always started early as it usually took umpteen attempts.  I can still see Terry’s face when he watched him prepare the charcoal, and Marc’s face when Terry took over the proceedings and lit the BBQ first time.  Marc was amazed and promised undying gratitude for the lesson.

The chicken has been marinating in the fridge for 3 hours and is now ready to be cooked.  All we need now is for our neighbours to arrive and let the party begin! Here are the recipes.

Chicken Oregano                                                 Serves 4

  • 8 chicken portions (Drumsticks and thighs) skin on, butterflied (see above)
  • 120 ml/4 fl oz olive oil
  • 120 ml/4 fl oz dry white wine
  • 2 tbsp. dried oregano
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  1.  Arrange the chicken portions in a large shallow dish. 
  2. Mix all the other ingredients together well then pour over the chicken.  Cover and refrigerate for 2 – 3 hours, turning occasionally.
  3. Half an hour before you are ready to eat, remove the chicken from the marinade and cook on an oiled BBQ rack or under a preheated grill for about 30 minutes, turning occasionally, until the chicken is golden and cooked through and the skin is crisp.  Serve the chicken immediately.

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Feta and watermelon salad – really refreshing

8 Apr

DSCI0622Sometimes the simplest of recipes are the best. This salad is so refreshing. Perfect for a Summers day, shared with friends, in the sunshine, washed down with a chilled bottle of wine. Although we have never had a salad with watermelon as an ingredient, we both thought this reminded us of holidays in the Mediterranean, especially the great times we had in Greece over the years.  It does contain olives which I know are not to everyone’s taste but they are definitely an integral part of this salad as their saltiness perfectly offsets the sweetness of the melon, creaminess of the Feta and crunchiness of the cucumber.  Altogether a delightful salad and one I am sure we will be having over and over again.

When a recipe is as simple as this it is absolutely imperative that you choose the freshest and best ingredients possible.  The salad has to be served chilled so put all the ingredients in the fridge for at least 24 hours so you can serve it immediately when assembled.  Feta can vary in flavour and texture from the cheap variety to the sublime. In Greece it is cut off a block which is kept in a bath of brine and this is definitely the way to buy Feta wherever you are.  It is sold in tubs, soaked in brine, usually oak aged, in most supermarkets and it is definitely worth the few extra pence.  Terry’s Mum, who came from Crete, always told us never to buy melon that had been cut up as it was poisonous. I think this was possibly an exaggeration but I have always bought my melons whole just in case.  The olives, in my mind, have to be Kalamata, possibly the best olives in the world and please use good extra virgin olive oil for the dressing. You will reap the rewards.

Well, here is the recipe.

Feta and watermelon salad                 Serves 2

  • 1/2 cucumber, cut into quarters lengthways, deseeded and sliced
  • 1/2 small watermelon, deseeded, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 150g tub of Feta cheese
  • Handful go Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
  • Small handful of chopped mint
  • Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (about 1 tbsp)
  • About 1 tbsp of lemon juice (from a fresh lemon)
  1. Put the cucumber and watermelon in a salad bowl.  Scatter with the olives and mint. Drizzle with the olive oil and lemon juice then carefully mix.  Crumble the feta on top.
  2. Serve immediately, chilled.

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Cottage Pie! Comfort food at it’s best!!

7 Mar

There are days when nostalgia takes over and you want to eat something great that you remember from your childhood.  This is one of those days!  The sunshine from yesterday has gone, replaced by dark clouds.  Its time to eat something really comforting like Cottage Pie.

I remember eating cottage pie at my Grandmothers on a Monday dinner time.  Dinner time , in those days, was always 1300 hours.  If you were a minute late your dinner would be in the dog!!!!  She would have been a great sea captain! 

There is something fantastic about the smell of cottage pie as it cooks in the oven and the crunch as the spoon breaks through the crispy edges of the mashed potato to reveal the luscious beef mix below.  Yum!!!!!!!!  Grandma used to make hers using the beef left over from Sunday Lunch.  There was never very much beef, not even on the Sunday, so she would mince it and pad it out with chopped up vegetables.  I suppose it was one way of getting her Grandchildren to eat them.  Whatever the agenda, I know that we all loved her pie.  While we are talking of not wasting food, for tea we would eat dripping from the roast beef, spread onto warm toast and sprinkled with a little salt.  Oh, the memories! 

There are all sorts of variations on the cottage pie.  Shepherds pie is the most common, and is associated with minced lamb rather than beef.  Cottage Pie was first recorded in 1791 when the potato was used by the poor.  Cottage came from the work cottages they lived in.

I’ve tried all sorts of Cottage Pie recipes.  One included baked beans, some with cheese mixed into the potato topping, some tending towards an Italian version, using pancetta and red wine in the beef mix.  All were really tasty and healthy too.  My favourite though has to be my Grandmas version.  I am serving it with boiled cabbage and gravy.  Heaven!

Grandmas’s Cottage Pie          (Serves 4)

  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, roughly chopped
  • 2 carrots, roughly chopped
  • 1 stick celery, roughly chopped
  • 500g (1lb) beef mince (lean)
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • Splash Worcestershire sauce (or to taste)
  • 500 ml (1pt) beef stock
  • 1kg (2 lbs) old potatoes (I use Maris Piper), peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
  • Knob of butter
  • A little milk.
    1. Heat the oil in a pan then add the onion, carrots and celery.  Fry on a medium heat for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are starting to soften but are not coloured.
    2. Add the beef mince, crumbling to break up any large lumps.  When browned, add the tomato puree and Worcestershire Sauce.  Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring so it doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan.  Add the stock, mix well.  Bring to the boil then simmer over a low heat for about 30 minutes.
    3. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas 4. 
    4. Meanwhile, make the mashed potato.  Add the potatoes to salted boiling water, cover and simmer over low heat until potatoes are tender (about 15 minutes).  Drain well then return to pan.  Add the butter and milk and mash everything together until smooth.
    5. When the beef is ready tip into ovenproof dish.  Top with the potato then bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the top is browned and the beef is bubbling around the edges.
    6. If you want to, you can freeze this at the end of Step 4.  Make sure it is cold before you put it in the freezer.  Defrost and continue with Step 5 when you want to eat it. 

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    Black pudding Scotch Eggs – love them!!

    27 Feb

    On the third Saturday of each month we have a Farmers Market in our town.  Our favourite stall is run by a young couple who make Scotch eggs.  The come in all sorts of flavours.  Apart from the original they make Piri piri, sweet chilli, onion and black pudding eggs.  By far the best is the black pudding scotch egg.  We all love it, even our 5-year-old Grandson!

    I have made Scotch Eggs many times before so I used my basic method but added a little fried onion for sweetness and chopped black pudding to the sausage meat.  The eggs were absolutely delicious.  I believe even those who do not like black pudding will love.

    The Scotch egg’s origins are obscure. According to an article in the Telegraph (Feb 2011) the exclusive London trader Fortnum & Mason claims it invented the portable snack for rich coach travellers in 1738. “The eggs would have been smaller in those days,’’ says the company’s archivist Dr Andrea Turner. “They would have been pullet’s eggs rather than hen’s eggs, and the meat would have been gamier, like a strong Victorian pâté.’’

    She believes that the eggs then filtered down the social ranks, first becoming a Victorian savoury using cheaper meats, and finally arriving at the mass-produced egg served in the pubs, cafés and at picnics in second half of the last century.

    An alternative theory, suggested by Annette Hope in her book A Caledonian Feast, claims that the Scotch egg evolved from Nargisi Kofta, an Indian dish that is also made from minced meat and a boiled egg.

    Neil Chambers’s explanation seems more likely: that it was a northern variant of the Cornish pasty produced by Scottish smallholders, who would have kept chickens and pigs.  “It was a poor man’s lunch produced from leftovers that was easy to transport,’’ Neil says.

    Meanwhile, the Scotch egg’s fame has spread abroad. “Skorchi eggs” have become a Japanese New Year delicacy and they are a best seller for the Nigerian food chain Mr Bigg’s.

    Black pudding Scotch eggs                                        Makes 3

    • 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
    • oil
    • 200g good quality pork sausage meat
    • 100g good quality black pudding, finely diced
    • 3 eggs
    • plain flour
    • 1 egg, beaten
    • Dried natural breadcrumbs
    • Oil for frying
    1. Fry the onion in a little oil until softened but not coloured.  Remove from the heat and add to the sausagemeat in a bowl.
    2. Add the black pudding and mix carefully until the black pudding is evenly distributed in the sausagemeat mix.  Divide the mix into three balls then wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour to rest.
    3. Boil the eggs for approximately 6 minutes then cool in iced water and peel.
    4. Flatten each ball of mix until it is about 1 cm thick then wrap around the egg and mould so it is covered completely.
    5. Put some flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs into separate bowls then coat the covered eggs  firstly with flour, then beaten egg then breadcrumbs.
    6. Heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to 160- 180C.  If you are using a pan use a deep pan and 3/4 fill with oil to prevent it boiling over during cooking.  Heat to the same temperature as before (best measured by a cooking thermometer).  Carefully lower the eggs into the oil and cook for about 9 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.  Carefully remove from the oil and stand on kitchen paper to absorb any excess fat.

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    Fancy a bit of pasta? Spaghetti with crab, cherry tomatoes and basil. Yum!!!

    15 Nov

       Today I’m cooking pasta and my favourite recipe at the moment is spaghetti with crab, cherry tomatoes and basil.  You would not believe how easy or how delicious this meal is.  I’m not a crab lover myself but absolutely love this recipe.  It only takes about 25 minutes to prepare and cook so it’s almost faster than choosing and waiting for a take-away!

    Before you look at the recipe I thought you may be interested in a few facts about crabs.  Did you know that there are about 85o different species of crab!  The smallest one is a Pea Crab and is only a few millimetres wide.  The largest one is a Japanese Spider Crab with a leg span of 4 metres, that’s 13 feet for those of us who are not yet metric lovers!  Imagine meeting that when you go for a quick dip!!!!

    Crab meat is very low in calories and fat but a rich source of Omega 3 and vitamins and minerals, making it a perfect choice for a healthy heart or if you want to lose weight!  A four-ounce portion of crab meat only has 98 calories and 2 grams of fat!  This recipe only contains 349 calories per person.  Excellent!!  Can’t wait to eat it again!

    Spaghetti with crab, cherry tomatoes and basil

    Uses tinned crab so no need to mess about cooking fresh crabs.  I wouldn’t know where to start!

    www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1364638/spaghetti-with-crab-cherry-tomatoes-and-basil

    Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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    Celery and potato soup – light and creamy.

    7 Nov

    Some people only eat soup in the winter but I love it all year round.  I suppose cold soups come into their own in the Summer but, personally, I can’t stand them.  I like my soup hot and soothing, like an electric blanket, so that each mouthful takes away a little of the stress of the day.  This soup is perfect for that.  Served hot, silky and creamy, topped with cheese to give it an added dimension.  Absolutely perfect.

    Last year I posted a recipe for courgette and potato soup with cheese.  It was a great hit.  This is lighter in flavour but equally as good.  I found the recipe in one of my Covent Garden Soup books.  Some of their recipes sound a bit way out, although to have them included in their recipe books must mean they meet the taste criteria.  I suppose I need to be more adventurous but, for now, I am sticking to ingredients I know and love.  This recipe was created by Jo Gilks, a Recipe Tester for Covent Garden Soup Co.  She used to be a city banker and then decided her passion was for cooking so she made a career change.  She is now a high-quality caterer and home economist.  She has worked with Antonio Carluccio, one of my favourite chefs, both on his television series and his books.  I envy her courage.  I wish I had done something similar.  At least, now I am in my retirement I can cook to my heart’s content, test out recipes and share the best with my readers on my blog.

    Celery and potato soup                              Serves 4

    • 2 oz/50g butter
    • 1 onion, finely chopped
    • 1 large leafy head of celery, finely chopped (leaves as well)
    • 1 lb/ 450g potatoes, peeled and sliced
    • 725 ml/1.25 pts light chicken stock
    • 150 ml/0.25 pt double cream
    • salt and freshly ground pepper
    • 2 oz/50g Cheddar cheese, grated
    1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan.  Add the onion, potato and celery and cook gently, covered, for 10 minutes without colouring.
    2. Add the stock and season well.  Cover, bring to the boil and simmer gently for about 30 minutes or until all the vegetables are tender.
    3. Cool a little then process until smooth (or just process half and leave half in pieces if you like soup chunky).
    4. Return to the pan and, stir in the cream and check seasoning.  Reheat gently and serve piping hot sprinkled with grated cheddar cheese.

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