Penne Con Pollo e' Amatriciana Sauce (Pasta With Chicken and Chili Sauce)

I very quick meal to make, but with nice good flavours to it. Especially if you like chilies.

Amatriciana Sauce For Pasta

Ingredients

2 tins cherry tomatoes
500g of chicken breast
5 rashers of pancetta
A glass of white wine
1 red onion
4 cloves of garlic
Tagliatelle
Olive oil
1 chili (de- seeded if you want)
1 tsp chili flakes
Seasoning
Parmesan Cheese to serve

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Level : Easy
Serves: 4

Method

Heat some oil in a pan and add the onion and garlic , cook slowly for 4/5 minutes . Add the pancetta and cook for a further 3 minutes. Add the diced chicken breast and brown all over. Add the chopped chili and the flakes. Cook for a minute. Add the wine and cook for a further minute, or until reduced by half. Add the cherry tomatoes , sugar and seasoning. Leave to simmer for about 8/10 minutes and take off the heat. Serve with any pasta you fancy. Grate some cheese over and serve.

Chocolate and Ginger Cake

This is possible the easiest cake I have ever made. Very quick too, so quick you don't even need any baking. I'm not a fan of Christmas cake or Christmas puddings. So this is my version of a Christmas cake. Any one can do it. Quite fun for kids and let them get involved with the cooking

Chocolate and Ginger cake

Ingredients

150g dark chocolate
150g milk chocolate
150g unsalted butter
75g of golden syrup
300g ginger biscuits
70g flaked toasted almonds
70g dried cranberries
50g of white cooking chocolate

Preperation Time: 15 minutes
Needs over night to chill.
Serves 10/12
Level: Easy

Method

Start with breaking your dark and milk chocolate. Put over a pan of simmering water to melt in a bowl, and not touching the water. Add the butter and the golden syrup to the bowl of chocolate. Leave to melt until you can do the rest. Get the ginger biscuits and put inside a bag. Give them a good bash with the rolling pin , until they are crumbs. Add in a clean mixing bowl along with dried cranberries and the flaked almonds. Have a look at the chocolate again, give it a stir . When melted mix with the ginger mixture. Grease a baking tin with some oil and cover with some greaseproof paper. Pour the cake mixture in the tin. Melt the white chocolate the same way but do not mix it with any butter or anything else. Drizzle on top of the cake. Decorate the cake with some snow flake and snow man :) . Chill in the fridge for at least 12 hours. I done mine in advance for Christmas. Can be done a week before. Serve with some whipped cream .

Baked Rice (Ross il-Forn) Maltese Dish

I am today going to share another Maltese recipe, and it's one of my favorite, I must add! Very simple and yet so tasty. Doesn't take a long time of preperation. Must give it a go I'm sure you will all agree with me on this.

Baked Rice

Ingredients

1 carrot diced
1 onion diced
2 cloves of garlic
250g beef mince
250g pork mince
2 hot dogs slices
3 rashers of bacon
1 tin plum tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree'
thyme
2 bay leaves
3 beaten eggs
A pinch of sugar
500g rice
Grated cheddar
Grated Parmesan
Seasoning
Olive oil
Curry powder
A splash of worchestershire sauce

Preperation Time: 25 minutes
Cooking Time: About an hour
Total Time : Over an hour
Serves: 5/6
Level : Easy

To serve

Crusty bread
Peas

Method

In a deep pan heat up some oil and add the onion, grlic, carrot and bacon. Leave to cook for about 10 minutes on a low flame. Add the mince and cook until brown.Add the chopped sausages. Add the curry powder, thyme, bay leaves and a spalsh of worchestershire sauce. Cook for another two minutes and add the tomato puree' , plum tomatoes and a pinch of sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Start cooking your rice . Mix the rice with sauce and beat in three eggs. Stir all well to combine. Pour into a baking dish. Cover with cheese a mixture of cheddar and parmesan. Cook in the oven for 30 minutes on 180 degrees. Serve with bread and peas on the side.

Cassoulet

A nice traditional French dish. It's the first time I ever done it. It sounded good to me so I decided to give it a go . Most of the dinners have potatoes with them. This one has got beans as a means of starch instead.

Cassoulet

Ingredients

4 chicken legs
6 sausages
50g of chorizo sausage
1 tin haricot beans
1 tin cannellini beans
1 onion
1 tbsp tomato puree'
1 liter hot chicken stock
Thyme
1 bay leave
Seasoning

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: Over an hour
Serves : four
Level: medium

Method

Turn your oven at 180 degrees. When hot enough, put your chicken legs in and leave to cook for 25 minutes. I drizzled some olive oil on the chicken legs and seasoned them before putting in the oven. In the mean you can start with frying the chorizo sausage. After a minute or two add the onion and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the thyme, bay leave and season. Stir everything and add the tomato puree' and the stock. Bring everything to a boil, take the chicken out of the oven and add to the pan. Cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Grill your sausages following the instructions on the pack. After 30 minutes uncover the pan and add the drained beans. Leave to cook for another 15 minutes before adding the sausages to the pan. Cook for a further 15 minutes or until all the liquid is evaporated from the pan. Serve with some vegetables of your likings, I used carrots and broccoli.

Chicken and Leek Pie

I was prepered for a busy Saturday ahead, so I prepered the pie a day ahead. Leave it in the fridge and before baking it just brush it ligtly with an egg. I find pies quite convienient

Chicken and Leek Pie

Ingredients

600g of chicken breast
600g of leeks
4 rashers of streaky bacon
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp of plain flour
300ml chicken stock
1 tbsp of Dijon mustard
200ml of double cream
Olive oil
Butter
Seasoning
Ready rolled puff pastry
Thyme

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Total Time:  50 minutes
Serves : four
Level Easy

Method

Get everything ready and chopped on your bench and easy to reach. Put some butter with some oil in a deep pan. Put the leeks in cote everything well with the butter, and cover. Leave to cook on a low flame for 10 minutes. Add the chicken and crushed garlic. Add cook until the chicken is well coked and maybe a little golden round the edges. Add the thyme and the flour and cook until it all looks mushy . Add the dijon mustard and cook for 30 seconds. Add yor hot stock , stir well and bring to a boil. leave to cook uncoverd for another 10 minutes or until thick enough. Add the cream and stir in. Cook for another 2 minutes and tip in a baking tray. Cover with puff pasrty, brush with an egg and cook in a preheated oven for 35/40 minutes on 180 degrees. I served mine with some peas .

Beef Taco's

A nice and fun dinner. Full of activity . Gets everyone involved and sharing. I like it plus you can be daring and make as spicy as you like. Everyone has his own portion . So by adding jalapenos or maybe a grilled chili pepper to your own taco won't hurt anyone. I mixed my with taco shells and tortilla's too. Then you can fill them up yourself at the table.

Beef Taco

500g minced beef
1 tin mixed beans
1 onion
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 clove garlic
A pinch of paprika
1 whole chili just pricked
1 tbsp tomato puree'
1 tin chopped tomatoes
A pinch of sugar
250 ml hot vegetable stock
A pinch of cumin powder

To serve

Grated cheese
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Jalapenos
Lime wedges
Guacamole
Taco Shells
Flour Tortilla
Sour Cream
Potato wedges
Corn on the cob

Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Level : Easy
Serves: 5

Method

Fry your onion and garlic in some oil for 2 minutes. Add the peppers and cook for a further 6 minutes. Add the mince and brown all over. Add the paprika and the cumin. Add the drained beans and cook for a further minute.  Add the tomato puree' and the tinned tomatoes along with a pinch of sugar.Add the stock and leave it cook on a low flame and uncovered for about 30 minutes. Or until all the water is completely evaporated. Serve everything in the middle of the table and leave everyone add his own ingredients.

Toad In The Hole

Well if you are following a diet , and don't eat many fats, then this is not for you. It is so yummy. Well obviously, all the fatty greasy stuff is always tasty. Sausages are good, we all like them . Bangers and mash , sort of but with Yorkshire puddings! I have tried this recipe a few times before I actually nailed it. But I never give up and I kept on trying . It was always eatable when I done it , just not right or perfect. I am proud to say that this time they came the best. I found that using a big enough tray with more surface area, helped a little . Just a tip , I done a big batter as I had 12 sausages. Calculating your batter is easy. Just remember what ever amount of flour you have has to be same amount of milk.  Ex: 100ml - milk, 100g flour. I find it even better to half the flour. Half plain flour and half self raising flour. As it help it rise :)

For the batter

200g plain flour
200g self rasing flour
400ml of milk
4 eggs
salt

Ingredients

12 sausages

For The Onion Gravy

2 onions
2 tbsp worchestershire sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp powder mustard
400ml warm vegetable stock
2 tbsp plain flour
Seasoning

To serve

1 tin of baked beans
Mash
Broccoli

Method

Start with your batter, I like to leave sit for an hour or two before using. I read many different recipes. Everyone says it different, but I found it really works when left to rest before using it. Mix the plain flour and raising flour together in a large bowl . I use half and half to help the yorkshire pudding rise. Add the eggs one by one and beat gently. Add the milk , season and set aside. I left mine two hours. If you don't have enough time even leaving for 30 minutes makes a difference.

 

Preheat your oven on 200 degrees. In an oven proof dish put about 1cm of sunflower oil. Put in the oven and leave until it all starts to boil. I cover the base of the oven as this splashes a lot and makes a mess. No one likes to scrub an oven too much ! Cover with foil or put a big dish on the bottom. When the oil is very hot, gently put in your sausages and cook. It will take around 15 minutes. Take it out again  and carefully pour in the batter. Back in the oven for 20/25 minutes. It is important you don't open the oven before this point. As the yorkshire puddings won't rise then ! While all this is cooking away in the oven , you can start your onion gravy. I use a measuring jug to mix it all in. Get the Worcestershire sauce, the powder mustard and stir them into your hot stock. Fry gently your onions for ten minutes until soft. Mix the flour in with the onions and cook for a further minute. Add the mixture you prepared in the jug. Stir well , bring to a boil and cook until thick and dense . Serve with your sausages .

Vindaloo and Courgette Curry

I do love a curry, there's no way of hiding this.This dish is really famous in Goa. Vindaloo is know to be a very fiery spicy dish. The fiercest of them all. Therefore when you cook it your self, you can control the heat of your meal. I don't mind spicy food. But I don't want to ruin the flavours either. Plus I have to kids to feed too and I'm sure they won't like that. I will cook mine with some left over beef . But you can use stewing beef cut in about 1 cm cube.

For the Vindaloo

Ingredients

1 tbsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp dried chili flakes
1tsp black peppercorns
5 green  cardamon pods. ( just the inner seeds)
1 tsp mustard seeds
a pinch of salt
1/2 tsp brown sugar
4 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 red onion finely sliced
2.5 cm root ginger
2 cloves of garlic
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
700g cooked beef cubed ( I left mine quite chuncy as it's already all so tender)

Courgette Curry

Ingredients

2 courgette's about 400 g
Oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 onion finely sliced
2 cloves of garlic crushed
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground corriander
1 tsp ground cumin
A pinch  salt
1 tbsp tomato puree'
1 can chopped tomatoes
150 ml of water

For the white and yellow rice

Ingredients

1 cup rice , divided in two different pots
2 knobs of butter
Olive oil
Salt
White pepper
1 tsp turmeric

Preperation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: up to an hour
Total Time: Over an hour
Serves 3
Level : Medium

Method

Best to start with the vindaloo first especially if you are nuseing stewing beef. With a pestle and mortal grind your seeds. The cumin, chillies , peppercorns, mustard seeds and cardamon seeds. This will take a while and some of your energy . But you need them in a fine powder.

 

 

Add the salt to the fine powder , the sugar and the vinegar. This will be a very thin paste. Leave on the side for a while . Soften your onion for about 10 minutes . With a hand blender ,blend you onion and then mix with the thin paste you just made.

 

 

 

Heat up some more oil in a pan and fry your meat if you are using the stewing meat. When browned all over remove and set a side. If you are using the cooked meat from your left over then skip this stage. Add the grated ginger and grated garlic to the pan with some oil, and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the turmeric and corrainder to the pan and cook for a further minute. Now return the meat of add the meat to the pan. Stir it well with the spices in the pan and add your paste. Add 300 ml of water. Bring to boil, cover and simmer for about an hour and a half if you  are using the stewing beef. Keep an eye on it , you might need to add another splash of water if gets to dry before the meat is tender enough.  If you have the left over meat then don't cover and leave it to simmer until sauce is thick and meat is warm .

Until that is bubbling away , you can get cracking with the courgettes. Slice them in 1cm thick circles. In a hot pan add some oil and add the mustard seeds and the cumin seeds to the hot pan. Cook them until they start popping out of your pan. Add the onion to the pan so the stop splattering all over the kitchen and cook for 5 minutes. Add the ground chili , turmeric, coriander , cumin and salt. Stir it all and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the courgette and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, the puree', a pinch of sugar and 150 ml of water. Bring to a boil and leave to simmer until you have a thick sauce and the courgettes are cooked all the way through.

 

 

 

 

When everything is nearly cooked get your rice ready to serve. Divide a cup of rice between to pots. Cover with water , add a knob of butter in each and drizzle some oil. A pinch of salt in both. Then in one of them add some white pepper and in the other add the turmeric. Cover and leave to cook until all the water is infused in the rice. Stir them up together . Serve alongside your curries and naan bread.
      
                                                                                

Rib Eye Steak With Roasted Root Vegetables

I think, that a nice good piece of steak doesn't need any sauce to go with it. I like to leave the meat speak for itself. It is best cooked pink to taste the flavours better and guarantee a nice juicy, tender steak.

For the Steak

Ingredients

2 rib eye steaks (2cm thick)
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
A knob of butter

For The Vegetables

Ingredients

2 tbsp goose fat
Olive Oil
Seasoning
Black mustard seed
Mustard seeds
3 carrots peeled and cut in half lengthwise
4 parsnips peeled and cut in quarters lengthwise
6 potatoes peeled and halved

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time : up to an hour
Total Time : 1 hour 25 minutes
Serves 2
Level : easy

Method

Get your vegetables going, as that what is going to take time. The meat will be cooked in minutes.
Peel them and boil them slightly, you want to be able to prick them with a fork. But with a crush to them. You don't won't them sloppy and breaking. In an oven proof dish put the goose fat and put in a preheated oven until melted and bubbling. Oven at 200 degrees. Take it out gently and put the potatoes in, toss them well in the fat, cook for 30 minutes. Take them back out and add the carrots and parsnips. Drizzle some oil, and toss it all around with fat, season and the add mustard seeds. Leave to cook for a further 40 minutes. Now the meat. It's important you leave your meat rest at room temperature for at least 10 minutes before cooking. Season the meat well on both sides, and rub with some oil. Heat up a non stick frying pan don't add any oil to the pan , there's no need. Add the meat to the pan and on high heat sear the meat on both sides for about a minute. Turn the heat down and cook for 5 minutes on each side. Well to be fair I can't be precise on the times. This will depend on the thickness of your meat and even the type of pan you will be using. But approximately using this time your meat will be pink but not runny blood. Turn the heat off and put the meat on a warm plate. Add the knob of butter to the pan and melt it with the all the juices of the meat. Pour over your meat. Serve with your vegetables and maybe a dollop of Dijon mustard on the side of your plate.

Pan Fried Chicken Breast with Brandy Sauce

This week I wasn't really in the mood of spending a day cooking at any point. So I done a few quick meal. Plus gone out for dinner in the weekends , which was even better no cooking and no washing dishes. How do you like that. I kept really simply , but still comes out nice and tasty.

Chicken Breast

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts
Olive Oil
Pepper
Salt

For the Brandy Sauce

Ingredients

2 shallots
4 tbsp Brandy
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
200ml double cream
3 tbsp Worcester sauce
Seasoning
Olive oil

To serve

Baby carrots
Green Beans
Roast potatoes




Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Serves 2
Level: Easy

Method

Rest the chicken on a chopping board, Cut them in half lengthwise, but not all the way. They will look like a heart when flat. Season well both sides and rub with some oil. Heat up a non stick frying pan. Add the chicken to the dry pan and cook each side for about 6 minutes , before turning. It will have a nice brown color.
While that is resting on a warm plate in a warm place, you can start your sauce. The sauce only takes seconds to cook. So your food won't get cold. In the same pan you cooked the chicken , add a little oil, then the shallots. (these have to be chopped really fine, to help cook quicker) Season and add the Worcester sauce. Add the mustard and cook for another 30 seconds. Now the brandy, And flambe. (As soon as you put the brandy in, tip your pan a little sideways and it will instantly catch fire) The flame might be a bit big, don't worry that's fine.) Leave the flame die and add the cream. Give it a good stir and bring to boil. Pour over your chicken and serve immediately. Serve with any vegetables you fancy and enjoy.

A Quick Meat Sauce For Pasta

Most people today have a busy life. Therefore can not afford to spend all day in the kitchen. On the plus side this meal is a cheap meal too. I was meant to do something completley diffeerent today. But I have been so busy this week, this month December is a busy month . I do'tmind it all , makes things interesting . Any way I found out last minute , just when I was strating to cook that I had no eggs left. So I had to change my plans for dinner. I had a quick look in my cupboards, and came up with this.

Meat sauce

500g minced meat
3 rashers of bacon
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 red pepper
1 tbsp oregano
1 jar chili and tomato sauce
1 tbsp tomato paste
A pinch of sugar
A splash of water
Olive oil
Seasoning

Serve with

Pasta ( I used Tagliatelle)
Parmesan Cheese
Freshly ground Pepper

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Total Time : 30 minutes
Serves 4
Level: easy

Method

Heat up some oil and add the onion . Gently fry the onion until soft. Add the bacon and the mince. Turn the heat up a little. When the mince is brown add the crushed garlic and the peppers. Fry for a further minute or two. Add the jar of sauce and the tomato paste. Fill half the jar with water and add to the pan, along with a pinch of sugar. Season and add the oregano. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes. Mix with pasta and sprinkle over some grated cheese.

Cajun Pork Chops with a Sweet Corn Salad

I had this recipe inspied from a Jamacian. Hot and spicy , I do like a kick in my meals. Gives all another dimension to food. This works really well with chicken legs too. Today I had Pork chops avaliable in my freezer.

Pork Chops with Cajun

Ingredients

6 pork chops
2 tbsp cajun spice
2 tbsp oive oil
juice of a lime

For the sweet corn salad

Ingredients

1 tin sweet corn (big)
2 chopped tomatoes
A piece of cucumber diced
1/2 a red onion diced
Chili flakes
Extra virgin olive oil (drizzle)
Seasoning

To serve

Asparagus
Savoury rice
Chips

Preparation Time: 10 minute
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Marinate Time: 30 minutes
Total Time : 1 hour 10 minutes
Serves 4
Level: Easy

Method

Who said you can't have a nice yummy dinner after a days work! With not much to do.
No fuss , but yet so delicious and a colorful plate. If you want the taste to be more intense I suggest that you marinade the chops for at least 30 minutes before cooking. Get all the ingredients ready and prepare the marinade first. Get a small bowl and mix in the Cajun spice, olive oil and lime, season. Get a brush and using the marinade, brush both sides of the pork chops. Use all the marinate , cover with cling film and leave in the fridge for 30 minutes. Turn your grill on low and put the chops in. Turn them half way through. They should take about 15/20 minutes to cook. But this will be determined with the thickness of your meat. You don't want to over cook them, as they will be dry therefore chewy.
While the pork is cooking away in your grill, you can start your salad.  Open the tin of sweet corn and drain. Add in a salad bowl, chop the tomatoes, cucumber and onion. Add with the sweet corn in the bowl. Add the flakes of dried chili, the oil and season to your taste. Serve on the side with your chops. There you go dinner is served. You can now chill and enjoy your evening. Maybe with a nice glass of wine .

Hot and Sour Pork Stir Fry

Who doesn't like a Chinese take away.  I now I do , the only problem is that they are so greasy . So I like to do my own every now and then . It's just as delicious, but on the plus side, it only has half the fat it would have when you buy it ready from a take away. It only takes minutes to cook and not even much of a messy kitchen as it's all done in the same wok. I'm doing mine with pork fillet , but you can easily do it with chicken. So lets get started.

Hot and Sour Pork Stir Fry

Ingredients

450g pork fillet cut in strips
4 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 juice of a lime
4 tbsp clear honey
4 tbsp cornflower
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 yellow pepper
1/2 a red onion
1 chili (deseed) I leave the seeds in mine
A splash of water
Toasted sesame seeds

To serve

Noodles
Prawn crackers

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Serves 4
Level: Easy

Method

Mix the corn flour in a bowl with the soy sauce and the lime. Leave a side .  In hot and sizzling wok add some oil. Then brown your pork all over add the peppers, the red onion and the chili. Fry for a further 3 minutes. In the meantime cook the noodles following the instruction on the pack. And dry fry the sesame seeds until brown but not black, and mix them in with sauce mixture. Add the sauce mixture to the pan stir and it will be really thick, add water little by little until you get your desired consistency. It should be a thick and sticky. Bring the noodles to the pan and stir fry altogether. Serve and eat immediately while hot. They go really nice with some prawn crackers on the side.

Lamb and Pork Cannelloni

This recipe is going to look like a lot , a big meal. But don't worry ! What I done is, froze half the meat sauce in freezable container. Write what it is and the date on it too. This will last for about three months in the freezer . I'm sure at some point you will have a busy day and find it really handy . Just put it in the fridge to defrost for at least 12 hours.
HINT:  You want it quicker then filling every tube one by one you can easily layer it like a lasagna :]

Lamb an Pork Cannelloni

Ingredients

18/20 tubes of cannelloni
500g lamb mince
500g pork mince
1 tin kidney beans
1 carrot
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 tins chopped tomatoes
1 chili chopped (deseeded if you want)
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp tomato puree'
Olive oil
Seasoning
Cheddar cheese

For the white sauce

Ingredients

50g butter
50g plain flour
2 hand fulls of baby spinach leaves
350ml vegetable stock
350ml milk
Pinch of nutmeg
Seasoning

Cooking Time: 35 minutes oven , 15/20 minutes hob
Serves 8
Level : Medium

Method

In some oil fry your mince until brown all over. Drain all the fat (I picked it up with a slotted spoon and rinsed the dish before used it again) and put it on some kitchen towel. Set aside. Add some more oil and fry gently the onion garlic and carrot until soft. Add the chili and paprika, stir in and cook for a minute or two. Bring back the mince to the pan and add the drained kidney beans ( I unfortunately forgot them on the side and didn't add them ) But next time when I use the other half that's in the freezer, I will add kidney beans while warming it up. Now add your tomatoes and the puree'. Make sure everything is warm and well cooked , take off the heat and put aside t cool , while you can start the white sauce. Melt the butter gently in a pan, as we don't won't burnt butter. It taste bitter and ruins the flavour of the sauce. Add the flour and stir it in well for about a minute. Take off the heat and add the milk a little at a time, Stir in well every time you add a little milk. If you don't do this step well , you will end up with a lumpy white sauce. I'm sure you don't want that, as it will end up down the drain. Put back on the hob and add the stock. Warm trough on a flame, stirring constantly , until thick. Add the nutmeg , spinach and season. Give a last stir, cover and set aside. Turn your oven on, to preheat, on 180 degrees.
You can now start filling your cannelloni tubes as the meat mixture has cooled down. If you don't need to use all the meat sauce , transfer half of it in a container and use another time. This bit to fill the tubes will be a bit tricky. You just need a lot of patience ad time too :] . Layer them in your oven proof dish, preferably you want to tug them in nicely on one level if possible. Scoop all the white sauce over everything and grate a generous amount of cheddar cheese to cover. Season , and in the oven for 35 minutes. Leave to sit for 15 minutes before serving . Serve with steamed broccoli, cauliflower and garlic bread.

Baked Macaroni (pasta)

I must be feeling a little home sick lately,been cooking a few Maltese dishes. This is a traditional Maltese pasta dish. Very easy to make and quite tasty too. All basic ingredients that one should have in the cupboard or fridge. So if you're one of those that stress out what to cook everyday. You will like this . Well I used to be terrible. I'd wake up everyday with a thought in my head. WHAT SHALL I COOK TODAY. I hated it , I came up with a timetable now. I do it on Wednesday's normally. So then I'm sorted for the following week. In the morning I just open my diary and check what needs to come out of the freezer. Stress free!

Baked Macaroni

Ingredients

300g of pasta (macaroni)
500g minced beef
3 rashers of bacon
2 boiled eggs
1 beaten egg
1 onion
1 carrot
2 garlic cloves
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbs tomato puree'
1 tbs curry powder
2 bay leaves
200ml of double cream
Seasoning
Cheddar cheese

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 35/40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Serves : 6
Level : Easy

Method

Boil some water and drop in two eggs , to hard boil them. They need about 6/7 minutes to cook. Then leave them aside to cool before pealing them and using them. Chop all the vegetables and fry in a deep pan for about 10 minutes on a low flame. Add the mince and the bacon, turn the heat up a little. Keep an eye on it. When brown all over ,add the curry powder and the bay leaf. Drop in a good splash of Worcester sauce, you can use a glass of wine if you like. As I already said before, in this case I find it a bit of a waste. Break a vegetable stock cube in and add the chopped tomatoes and the paste followed by a pinch of sugar. Fill the tomato can with water and pour in the sauce. Leave to simmer for about 15 minutes uncovered. Boil your pasta al dente , drain and leave on the side. Peel the eggs and chop them up. In the same pot you boiled the pasta, tip the pasta back in and stir in the sauce (remove the bay leaves) and the eggs. Season. Beat an egg in. Get the oven proof dish and start transferring your pasta in the dish. I do it in thirds and in between I drizzle a third of the double cream. Dish will keep it nice an moist in the middle trough the cooking time. Cover with a lot of cheese on top and put in a preheated oven 190 degrees for 35/40 minutes . Leave to cool for ten minutes before dishing in your plates.

Moroccan Style Lasagna

I really like to make good use of my leftovers. No waste. Plus the flavours come out really nice. Last Sunday I roasted a leg of lamb. It was quite big so I had a big portion left. Normally I do a curry. This time I was inspired to do lasagna , I done it before with pork leftovers and it came really tasty. This lasagna tastes a bit like a very mild curry, and it's basically the same ingredients I normally use to make a curry. Good to change and try new things. As I always say keep it interesting.

Moroccan Lasagna

Ingredients

Lasagna sheets
400g butternut squash
300g cooked lamb (you can easily do this with lamb mince)
200g baby spinach
2 onions
2 cloves of garlic
1tsp ground cinnamon
1tsp ground coriander
1tsp ground cumin
300 ml of vegetable or lamb stock
2 tbsp tomato puree'
1 tin chopped tomatoes
Seasoning
Bread crumbs
Olive oil

For the white sauce

Ingredients

450ml of full fat milk
40g butter
40g plain flour
Pinch of nutmeg
Seasoning

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: about an hour
Total Time: Over an hour
Serves : 4
Level : Medium

Method

Heat some oil in a pan , add the onions, garlic and butternut squash in the pan , cover and leave to cook slowly for ten minutes, or until everything is soft. Cut the butternut squash into 2cm cubes (approximately) . Add all your spices to the pan stir in and cook for another minute. Add the lamb, (if it's mince brown it all over first). Add the tomato paste, the chopped tomatoes and the stock. bring to a boil and leave to cook uncovered for about 20 minutes. This will give you the time to prepare the white sauce. Melt the butter, and add the flour to it, cook for a minute or so. Add the milk slowly and stir constantly . Heat up slowly until thick enough. Leave a little while on the side. Return to your lamb sauce now, taste it and see if it needs any seasoning. Add the spinach and cover for 3 minutes. It will look like a lot of spinach, but it will wilt away. Uncover , stir and take off the heat.
Start layering your lasagna, first pour a little white sauce on the bottom of an oven proof dish and layer your sheets neatly to cover the base. Now pour some lamb sauce and a little more white sauce. Keep doing this until you fill your dish and finish your lamb sauce. Final layer should be of the lasagna sheets covered with the white sauce and sprinkle over the golden bread crumbs. Put in a preheated oven 190 degrees, middle shelf. Bake for about 35 minutes. Take out and leave to cool for 15 minutes before serving . Serve with garlic bread.

Pork and Bean Stew

Very little needed to cook this meal. But yet the flavours are big. I guarantee that all your family will love it. An affordable family meal. That you will cook over and over again. at first sight it won't look brilliant or the best meal ever, as it's not so colorful. You have to try it to prove me right.

Pork and Bean Stew

Ingredients

500g of pork fillet cut into cubes
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
4 sweet potatoes. ( around 350g)
2 tbsp of smoked paprika
1 bay leave
2 spring of rosemary
Olive oil
200 ml of white wine
800ml of vegetable stock
1 tin butter beans
1 tin haricot beans
Seasoning
1 tbsp plain flour

For the Salad

Ingredients

2 carrots
1/2 a red onion
1 gem lettuce
2 ripe vine tomatoes
1 tbsp of dijon mustard
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Seasoning


Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time : 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Serves : 4
Level : Easy

Method

The stew

Mix the pork with some oil , paprika and seasoning. Leave to infuse for 10 minutes. Heat some more oil in a pot. Brown the pork all over, and just before putting it aside, add the flour to the pork and stir all very well before you put in a bowl on the side. Add a little more oil to the pan , and fry the onion and garlic, while scraping all the flavours off the bottom left from the pork. Add the wine and aliitle more paprika, cook away all the alcohol. Add the drained beans,bayleave, rosemary springs and the pork back to the pan. Add the stock and the sweet potatoes. Stir, bring to a boil , cover and leave to cook really slowly for about two hours. At the end you should have a nice thick stew. Fish out the stalks of the rosemary and the bayleave before serving.

The Salad

Grate the carrots. Roughly chop the gem lettuceand the tomatoes finley chop the onion, and combine it all in a salad bowl. In a seperate bowl add the mustard and the red wine vinegar together, with some seasoning. Stir in with your salad well so eveything is well flavoured.

Serve the salad along side your stew with some bread to mop all the sauce off your bowl .

Spaghetti Bolognese

I don't cook a lot of pasta , it's not so favourite around my house, but I was brought up with pasta. It was always a favourite for me, I was happy to eat pasta everyday . Pasta hasn't really got a big flavour to it. So you need a bit of ingredients to go with it and give a nice flavour , bulk it up and make interesting. You can cook it with pretty much anything. I think this traditional dish gives it all the flavors one can think of. I normally cook a big batch of it as it takes hours to cook. And freeze half of it , for another time. Just put a label and date on it and make sure you use it up within a month. Brilliant for when having a busy day , or maybe a lazy one ;)

Bolognese Sauce

Ingredients

500g of minced beef
2x tins of chopped tomatoes
2 onions
2 carrots
2 cloves of garlic
3 celery sticks
4 rashers of streaky bacon
1 tbsp tomato puree'
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Olive oil
Seasoning
100ml of warm beef stock
1 spring of thyme
1 bay leave
Worcester Sauce

For the Spaghetti

200g of pasta
Parmesan
20g of butter
Olive oil


Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time : 1hour 30 minutes
Total Time: Nearly 2 hours
Serves :6
Level: Easy

Method

Chop all the vegetables.I normally grate my carrots. It makes it easier for the kids to eat, You know kids sometimes can be picky and if they don't now it's there , then they'll eat it. Heat some oil in a pan big enough, for all your ingredients. Put all your vegetables in the pan and leave to cook for 10 minutes on a low flame, you don't want to caramelize your onions. Put the bacon and the mince in and turn the heat up. Brown all over . Add a good splash of Worcester sauce, Or wine maybe if you prefer. If I'm honest in a dish like this I see it a waste adding wine. Cook well and reduce by half. Add all your herbs and spices. Give it a good stir and cook for another minute. Add the tomatoes, the puree', the stock and a pinch of sugar. Bring to a boil and leave to cook for an hour 30 minutes.

Boil the spaghetti and drain. In the same pan melt the butter with a little oil.Take off the heat. Add the spaghetti back to the pan and cote well with the butter. Sprinkle a little Parmesan . Serve your spaghetti with the bolognese sauce and more Parmesan.

Side Root Vegetables (to serve with roast dinner)

We all love a roast dinner. But it's nice to keep a little interesting, vary the vegetables that you serve long, or maybe use the same ones and give them a little twist. Today I done a leg of lamb. But didn't put any work in that to be honest. I chucked it in the slow cooker first thing in the morning, and leave it too cook on medium for six hours. You can never go wrong , with any meat. So I had space in the oven for all the veggies then. Even time to play around and make different flavours.

For the Parsnips

Ingredients

5 big parsnips cut in quarters and lengthwise.
2 heaped tablespoons of plain flour
50g of Parmesan cheese
Seasoning
Olive oil

For the Carrots

5 big carrots
2 tbsp maple syrup
Thyme leave picked
50g Butter
Seasoning

For the Potatoes

8 big potatoes peeled and halved
2 table spoons of goose fat
2 springs of rosemary (picked and finely chopped)
Seasoning
Olive oil

Preperation Time: 45 minutes
Cooking Time : 1 hour
Total Time: Nearly 2 hours
Serves : 6
Level : Medium

Method

Potatoes

Preheat your oven on 200 degrees. Peel and chop all your vegetables. Start with the potatoes best, as they are the ones that take longer. Boil some water and put the potatoes in, boil until you can prick with a fork but not break. Strain and leave to steam dry in the colander for 5 minutes. In the meantime in an oven proof dish scoop out to heaped tablespoons of goose fat and in the dish. Put in the oven to melt. Take it out of the oven very carefully. This will be all bubbling and splashing. Add the potatoes to the dish . Cover in the goose fat and drizzle over some oil. Sprinkle the fine cut rosemary over , season and in the oven to bake for an hour. Or until the potatoes are brown all over. Half way through the cooking, take them out and turn them, so they have color all over.

Parsnips

Now for the parsnips, boil in some boiling water for about 3 minutes. Drain and leave to steam dry in the colander for 5 minutes. In a separate bowl mix the flour , Parmesan and seasoning together. Mix and coat well the parsnips in the flour mixture. And pile neatly flat next to each other in an oven proof dish. Bake in the oven with the potatoes on the top shelf for 45 minutes.

Carrots

Boil the carrots in some boiling water, until cooked to your desired likings. I like mine a little crunchy. Not too much thou. Drain and leave to drain and steam dry. When ready to serve put in a pan of melted butter and a splash of oil. Reheat and drizzle with the maple syrup , sprinkle the thyme leaves , season and serve.

Hearty Beef and Ale Stew

Very easy to prepare. It does take quite a lot of time to cook, but not much mess in the kitchen, or time to do it. Just chop some vegetables, chuck it all in a big pot and leave to cook for hours. I thing nothing beats a stew in these wet, cold winter days. You could even bulk it up a little with some dumplings. I'm not making them today in my stew, I went for an easier option, chop some fresh crusty bread, spread with a lot of butter and dip in your stew.

Beef and Ale Stew

Ingredients

3 carrots
2 celery sticks
1 big onion
2 cloves of garlic crushed
500g of stewing beef (cut in cubes)
500ml of ale beer
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree'
300ml of beef stock
2 bay leaves
2 springs of fresh thyme
Olive oil
2 tbsp of plain flour
Seasoning


Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 3 hours
Total Time: £hours 15 minutes
Level: Easy
Serves two

Method

Chop all your vegetables. Leave all cut a bit chunky. As the stew will take hours to cook , you might end up with nothing in there, as it all melts and goes really tender. So if you leave it all a it chunky you can see the bits of carrots on your spoon , while eating. Put everything in the pot with the oil thyme and bay leaves. Leave to soften for about 10 minutes. In the meantime, season your meat. Now in with the meat and brown all over. When the meat is brown, add the flour and cook for another two minutes. Now it's time to add the ale, the chopped tomatoes and the puree. I add a pinch of sugar at this stage. Stir all well and add the beef stock. Bring everything to a boil and season. Put on a very low flame, cover and leave to cook for three hours. It will all look really liquidy at this stage, and a big portion. Bu this will all shrink away and thicken too. At this stage you can even decide to cook it in a slow cooker instead. The only difference is that you need to half all your liquids. The stock and the booze. Because it won't evaporate in there, therefore the result will be too liquidy for a stew.
Serve with warm bread and enjoy.

Chilli Con Carne

Who doesn't like a chili, that kick in your dinner. Well I know I do. I am a chili freak. I don't really feel the heat anymore. Luckily enough both my kids are OK with it. So I don't have any problem with spicy dinners. You can always avoid to put a chili in, maybe just a little a powder to give that light chili kick. Well a dollop of sour cream and guacamole works just fine with me.

Chili Con Carne

Ingredients

1 tin chickpeas
1 tin kidney beans
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
2 small carrots
2 celery sticks
1 red pepper
1 chili (deseeded if you don't want to much spice)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground chili

For the rice

1 cup of rice
2 knobs of butter
A drizzle of olive oil
Half the juice of a life
Seasoning

For the Jacket potatoes

2 jacket potatoes
Seasoning
Olive oil
Rosemary
A clove of garlic

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: About 1 hour
Total Time: Over an hour

Method

Get all the ingredients ready. In a hot and sizzling pan fry the mince. This is done separately because of all the fat that comes out form the meat. Therefore it won't thicken well enough for you. When the mince is ready cooked, pick it up with a slotted spoon and put a side for a while. Remove all the fat from the pan. Add some more oil to the pan and add the onions . Soften for five minutes and the carrots and the celery. Cook away for another five minutes before adding the red pepper, the chili and the crushed garlic. Now add all the spices. Mix it all well and fry for 3 more minutes, or until all combined. Now drain the kidney beans and the chickpeas and into the pan with the rest of the vegetables, alongside with the chopped tomatoes. Fill the tin of your tomatoes with water and in the pan it goes. Stir it all and bring to boil. Leave uncovered and simmer on a low heat for about 45minutes to an hour , you want all the water to evaporate. If you think it' dry before taking time to cook away, add another splash of water to it. You want to cook well ,to release all the flavours.
For the jackets, stab all over and put in a microwave proof bowl. Add all the ingredients and cover with cling film. Put in the microwave for 15 minutes. Check them by stabbing them with knife before serving them. You want to make sure they are well cooked before you serve it.
For the rice , put it in a pan with all the ingredients and cover with water. Cover and cook for about 13 minutes, until all the water is evaporated.

 

Chicken and Chorizo Paella

This is a Spanish dish. I quite like to cook different cuisines . Makes dinner interesting . Well this dish is normally served with clams or some sort f other fish.  won't be adding any sort of seafood to my paella. But feel free to do it if you like it. I am not a fish eater at all. i know coming from a Country like Malta , surrounded by fish and lots of heritage about fisher man villages. But I just don't like it , not even the smell of it.

 

Chicken and Chorizo Paella and Bruschetta

For the Chicken and Chorizo
Ingredients

6 chicken legs on the bone

1 chorizo sausage, sliced
3 rashers of bacon

1 large onion finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 red peppers chopped
3 chillies seeds removed
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 litre warm chicken stock
300g paella rice
Oil

For the Bruschetta
Ingredients

1 ciabatta loaf
Olive oil
Cherry tomatoes
Red onion
2 garlic cloves
Mixed herbs

Preparation Time : 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Total time : 1 hour 30 minutes
Serves: 3-4
Level : Medium

Method

Get it all ready , so you won't forget anything . Well ideally you cook this in a paella dish. I don't have on so I used a big deep pan. Start browning by browning your chicken all over, and set aside. In the same pan fry the chorizo until nice brown and crisp all over, add the bacon half way so you crisp it as-well. There will be some vibrant colors in your pan and the smell in your kitchen , divine. Lower the heat and add the onion until soft about 3 minutes. Add the crushed garlic and cook for a further minute. Now the peppers paprika and chillies. Give it all a good stir, and return the chicken back to the pan. Simmer for 25 minutes. Add the paella rice , stir and cover tightly. Keep an eye on it as the water will be all absorbed and it might catch a little.

 

 

 

For the Bruschetta

Method

Cut the ciabatta loaf into little strips, rub it with a garlic clove , drizzle with some oil , sprinkle some mixed herbs and put in the oven for 6-8 minutes. In the meantime, chop your cherry tomatoes in quarters and finely chop the onion , put in a bowl with a drizzle of oil and seasoning , and serve along side with the bread and the Paella.

Beef Olives (Bragoli)

Today I decided to make justice to my country Malta. I am cooking a traditional Maltese dish. For some reason they are called beef olive. But they have absolutely nothing to do with olives. Basically it's frying steak , wrapped up and stuffed. It is cooked into a sort of stew.
It involves a bit of work to do it, but it is a good way to cook a cheap cut of meat. Well if you'd just fry it would be too tough to eat most of the times. At Least like this as it's cooked slowly , it has a much better bite to it! This is originally a Maltese recipe but there is also an Italian version to it.

Beef Olives (bragoli)

Ingredients

For the stuffing

6 slices of frying steaks (you could also use rump steak) But it works absolutely fine with frying steaks
250g of minced beef
3 rashers of streaky bacon
2 hard boiled eggs
1 grated carrot
4 handfuls of breadcrumbs. ( use fresh or a bit older bread works fine)
1 tsp mixed herbs
Some chopped parsley
Seasoning

For the sauce

1 big onion
3 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp tomato puree'
4 ripe tomatoes peeled and chopped
1 cup peas
1 large carrot chopped
4 small potatoes diced
A splash of Worcester sauce
2 bay leaves
beef stock ( enough to cover 2/3 )
A splash of red wine (optional)
2 tbsp bisto gravy granules

Preparation Time: Up to an hour
Cooking time : Up to an hour
Total Time : 2 hours

Method

First thing start buy putting your eggs in some boiling water and cook till hard. Leave for about 5 minutes . You need them hard boiled. Get all the ingredients of the stuffing ready. Mix it all together in a bowl . Combine well . Now get a bit of cling film, and on a wooden chopping board , put your meat , cover with the clingfilm and flatten as much as you can. Buy doing this to the meat, it will cook quicker as you larger the surface area . Be careful not to tear the eat otherwise you won't be able to roll it, and you will loose the filling from it.
When the meat is nice and flat , put about two spoon fulls of the stuffing and roll it into a sort of sausage. First fold a little the end and then roll it, so you secure all the filling tightly. Now you want to use some string to tie then up or toothpicks maybe. I used toothpicks. You should have around six beef olives in all. Now in a big frying pan, brown  the meat all over and set aside.
Now in the same pan soften the onion, and then add all the vegetables to the pan, some Worcester sauce, tomato paste and the stock. Bring to a boil and simmer for five minutes, and return the meat to the pan. Now cover and leave to cook on a low heat for 30 minutes. Keep an eye on it just to make sure it won't catch. Uncover and leave to cook for another 30 minutes. Towards the last ten minutes add the peas. Stir in some bisto granules until it's thick enough to your consistency. About two teaspoons. Dish up in a bowl , serve with some crust bread.

The Pleasures of Cooking: Chicken Chow Mien

The Pleasures of Cooking: Chicken Chow Mien: A classic Chinese dish one of the best know all over the world. Basically it's a stir-fry. But much much healthier when cooked at home. Fres...

Chicken Chow Mien

A classic Chinese dish one of the best know all over the world. Basically it's a stir-fry. But much much healthier when cooked at home. Fresh ingredients too! Chicken is quite a cheap meat to buy, and you can do so many things with it. Be creative as you like. You can serve it with noodles or maybe rice. Some prawn crackers on the side and maybe spring rolls. Just make look like a take away as much as possible.

Chicken Chow Mien

Ingredients

Noodles
4 chicken breast
A cup of gammon ham
50-80g mangetout
4-6 spring onions
Bean sprouts
2 cloves of garlic
6 tbsp of soy sauce
2 tbsp sherry
2 tbsp seaseme oil
Oil for fryng
2 tsp chinese five-spice


Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Serves :4
Level : Medium

Method

Cut your chicken into strips, and transfer into a bowl. Mix the sesame oil the sherry and the soy sauce together and then with the chicken. Stir it all well. Make sure all the chicken bits get coated and brown with sauce. Leave to marinate for 5-10 minutes. If you don't have don't worry , the chicken will soak up flavour anyway. Heat up some oil in a pan until bubbling. In with all the chicken and juices of the sauces. Cook the chicken trough and transfer back in the bowl. Leave aside. Cook your noodles following the packet instructions. Wipe your wok clean and put a little more in . Add you vegetables,garlic, ham and the five-spice mix. Fry for 3-5 minutes and in with the noodles. Heat the noodles trough , add a little splash of soy sauce. Add the chicken mixture and heat it all through. Serve immediately, while nice and hot.

The Pleasures of Cooking: Ricotta and Spinach filled Cannelloni

The Pleasures of Cooking: Ricotta and Spinach filled Cannelloni: This is a recipe that reminds dearly of my childhood. I remember it just like it was yesterday . When my mum used to make them me and my you...

Ricotta and Spinach filled Cannelloni

This is a recipe that reminds dearly of my childhood. I remember it just like it was yesterday . When my mum used to make them me and my younger sister always wanted to help her out filling them in. I always liked helping out in the kitchen and ask a lot of questions. It very simple to do . I can't wait till my kids are old enough and they can start making a bigger mess then I already do on my own in the kitchen . I don't know about you , but my man is always complaining there is a lot of washing up to do!! I don't think I am that bad thou .

Cannelloni

Ingredients

300g of cannelloni
250g spinach
Pinch of nutmeg
30g of fresh basil and stalks
2 tsp of dreid oregano
3 garlic cloves
300g of ricotta
2 knob of butter
Olive oil
500ml of creme fraiche'
Parmeasan
Mozarella balls
1 tin plum tomatoes
1 tin passata
Seasoning


Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Total time: about an hour
Serves : 4
Level : easy

Method

Chop you garlic (use half the chopped garlic, you will need the other half for the sauce later) and add to the hot pan with butter and oil. Add the oregano and nutmeg, give it a stir and add the spinach, little at a time if it doesn't all fit in the pan. It will wilt quickly. And will go down to a very small portion. Don't worry about that , it's normal and it will be enough. Put it aside , (it needs to cool down a little) in a bowl big enough , so later you can mix everything in.  Now start your tomato sauce. Use the rest of your garlic and add to the pan with a little more oil. Add the stalks of the basil (finely chopped) to the pan and in with the tomatoes. Bring to a boil , season and add a pinch of sugar. Just to cut that acidic taste of the tomatoes and balance a bit more the flavours. Leave it simmer until it's not too runny and watery. Goes a little thick, shouldn't take more then 10 minutes. You can now go back to the spinach that you left on the side to cool. Squeeze the liquid out of the spinach ( do not discard, leave the liquid in the bowl) . Transfer the spinach onto a chopping board and chop it . Bring back to the bowl with the liquid and the ricotta. Add some parmesan and mix it all together.
So by now the sauce should be ready. Leave it to cool , and start filling your cannelloni one by one. You could use a piping bag or maybe if you don't have one use a plastic bag, fill it with the mixture, cut one end corner of it and use it as a piping bag. I'm quite happy filling them with my hands. I tried using the bag but it just didn't work for me .
Pile them nicely one next to each other in the baking tray. If you have one big enough and you can pile them all flat in story would be better. I done a lot so I layered another level on top the bottom one. Cover with the tomato sauce and mix it well so that even the bottom once are covered in the sauce. Now the creme fraiche' , spoon it on top of everything. I use creme fraiche' ins read of besciamella sauce. This is a very rich and filling this. So the besciamella makes it even richer. On the plus side creme fraiche' is even healthier and less fatty. Sprinkle some parmesan cheese , pepper and the mozzarella balls.

Bake in the oven 1800 degrees for about 25-30 minutes.

Ice Cream Cake with Lemon curd and Meringues

Eveyone likes ice cream, no doubt about that. But no one dares to make as it takes so much time if you don't have an ice cream machine. Well guess what, this is so easy to make, you will definitely be tempted to give it a shot. It's done in minutes. With as simple as 5 ingredients . You can whip up with different ingredients if you like to your taste and imagination. I love doing this recipe as it's nice to have a dessert in your freezer. Even if you have guests, or simply you feel like a treat, you know you have it! It's called ice cream cake, as it will have the shape of a vienetta , and you can cut it in slices and serve with a chocolate sauce, some fruit or maybe even both.

Ice-Cream Cake

Ingredients

300ml of double cream
8 nests of meringues
3 tbsp of sugar
4 tbsp of lemon curd
Rind (skin) of 1 lemon

Will serve about 6 slices
Level : easy
Preperation time: 10 minutes
Setting time: over night

Method

Get a mixing bowl big enough to fit all the ingredients. Pour the double cream in. Add the sugar and whip it till nice and stiff. You canuse an electric whipper, easier and quicker. But if you don't have one you can do it by hand. Easy enough. Just whip as hard as you can. Now get the meringues and crmble them to bits , and in with the cream they go. Add the lemon cur and the lemon ring mix it all trough , and there you go! Done. Pour it into a dish. I cover the bottom with cling film and then with the ends cover the top. So then when set you just pull it all out easliy with the cling film. If you don't use the cling film you won't easily take it out without breaking it. And it doesn't look so nice when served.

Ice-cream befor set.

Ice-cream ready to eat

A very light block, with a delicious lemony taste and crunch of the meringues with a creamy texture.

 

Roasted Duck

I love duck. I have to say the meat is rally good. I'm not quite into sweetness with food, I know most people will eat with orange or some sort of other fruit. I like to keep it simple. The flavours that come out of it are just fine for me!

Roasted Duck

1 duck 1.5 kilos
Seasoning

 

I served mine with some caramelized carrots, green beans, roast potatoes and broccoli. Made some gravy out of the juices of the duck

Place your duck in a baking dish , but on a wire rack. You need to do this so the fat will drip down in the dish and the duck won't keep cooking in all the fat. Prick your duck all over , season well with salt and pepper, put in a preheated oven 180 degrees. Best to put it in the middle of the oven for a best result. Cook the duck 20 minutes for every 500g plus an extra 20 minutes.

When it ready , take out the oven cover with foil and leave to cool for 10-15 minutes. In the meantime, you can do your gravy. Pour out all the fat form the dish, and put on the hob on a medium heat. Scrape all the flavours and juices that come out of the duck with a wooden spoon, add a table spoon of flour, and about 500ml of warm vegetable stock. leave to simmer for a few minutes until it's thick enough.

Serve your duck wit vegetables of your likings

Roast Pork Belly and cabbage

Pork is one of my favorite meats. Pork belly is a bit like u have a big chunk of bacon. It is quite fatty, but delicious. Definitely not good for a frequent meal. This is the second time I'm cooking it. But it is the first time I'm doing it a whole big chunk, the other time I had bought it as slices. As you might have noticed I do a lot of roasting. It's so easy and the food comes out so good. Can't beat a roast.

Total time: 2 hours 5 minutes
Preparation Time: 30-40 minutes
Cooking Time: 2 hours
Serves : 4
Level : easy

Roasted Pork Belly

Ingredients

Pork belly (about 2 kilos)
Salt & pepper
Maple syrup

For the Cabbage and Bacon

Ingredients

1/2 a medium cabbage
4 slices of bacon
2 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp Worcester sauce
180ml of warm vegetable stock
Seasoning

For the Onion Rings

Ingredients

1 big round onion
1 egg
90ml of very cold water
1 tbsp of plain flour
Seasoning
Oil for deep frying

To serve

4 corn on the cob
Savoury rice

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Get a dish big enough to hold your pork. Season well with salt and pepper and put in the oven for nearly two hours. Follow instruction to the weight of your pork. To make sure it's cooked through and the fat on top goes nice and crunchy ( crackling). Just 5 minutes before taking it out drizzle some maple syrup on top and leave for the last 5 minutes.
While that is cooking away in the oven. Chop your cabbage in nice thin slices. Chop your bacon in small little bits. Fry the bacon in a little oil till nice and crunchy all over. When nearly done add the garlic fry for another minute and add the Worcester sauce. Now is time to add the cabbage. Stir it all well and the stock. Leave to cook covered for 5-6minutes. Uncover and cook until the water is all evaporated. Season to your taste and serve warm.
Now the onion rings. Start with making the batter. Beat an egg, pour in the cold water , stir in the flour and there u have your batter. Season well and set aside until you cut the onion. Peel it and leaving it whole , cut about 1 cm thick rings. Separate the rings from each other carefully. you will be surprised by how many you will have off one large round onion. Dip in the batter and then in your very hot oil. Leave to brown all over.

Dish up and enjoy. I served mine with some corn on the cob and savoury rice. The belly is fatty enough , so I avoided potatoes for today.

Roasted Guinea Fowl with a Whiskey Sauce and Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables

This Guinea Fowl has been on my mind for ages. I like to try new things. I've tried other birds before and I always liked their flavour. So last weekend while doing the shopping my man gr abed one and put it in the trolley! He said there, your wish is granted . So I get to cook it and eat it today. I'm in the process at the minute so I have no idea of the out come just yet. I promise I will try to explain the flavour and how it turned out at the end of my recipe . I will also do my best to remember and upload a picture to this meal. Well that is if I'm not to tipsy to remember later. It's Friday I'm allowed to an extra glass of wine.


Total Time: Over an hour
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 65 minutes
Serves: 2-4
Level : Medium

Roasted Guinea Fowl with a Whiskey Sauce and Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables

Ingredients

For the Guinea Fowl

1 Guinea Fowl (about 1 kilo)
olive oil
seasoning

For the Mediterranean Vegetables

1 green pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 crogette
1 carrot
1/2 a red onion
3 garlic clove crushed
1 tomato
Olive oil
Oregano
Thyme
Seasoning

For the Whiskey Sauce

100 ml of double cream
100ml of vegetable stock
80ml of whiskey

Method

Put the Guinea Fowl in a tray brush it with olive oil and season. And put in a preheated oven 200 degrees for 65 minutes.
For the roasted med veggies. Chop it all up , and put in a baking dish that fits it all. drizzle with oil, season and sprinkle the oregano on top. Bake in the oven with your Guinea Fowl for 40 minutes
If you are doing roasted potatoes to serve on the side like I am, put them in the oven at the same time of the Guinea Fowl.
For the Whiskey Sauce. When the Guinea Fowl is ready, leave to rest in a warm place, I cover it with foil and leave it in an open oven. Take the tray , remove any excess fat, and put on the hob. Scrape the flavours from the dish and add the whiskey to it. Bring to a boil and reduce by a quarter. Add the stock and cream and bring to a boil again and simmer for 2 minutes. Take off the heat and blend with a hand blender, and pour into a gravy bowl . Instead of blending you could sift it trough a fine sieve.
take your Guinea Fowl and carve, serve with Roasted Potatoes, Med Veggies and the sauce !!


N.B : As I promised the pictures are underneath , and it tasted nice, but no different to chicken in my opinion. My man was a bit disappointed he said. '' Next time I'll buy  chicken.''
 If it wasn't for the rich sauce you would have never thought it was a different meal!

Baked chicken legs with garlic gravy

Well this was an easy dinner, but yet delicous , every one emptied their plates. That is always a good result to the chef . Chicken is easy to cook, cheap to buy and nearly everyone likes it. Not much flavour to it, so doing a gravy gives it a little boost , so you can give some work to your taste buds.


Preparation Time: up to 30 minutes
Cooking time : 45 minute to an hour
Total Time: up to 1 hour 30 minutes
Serves 3-4
Level : medium

Baked Chicken Legs with a Garlic Gravy and Cauliflower Cheese

Ingredients, For the Chicken legs

6 chicken legs
Seasoning
1 onion

For the garvy

1 whole bulb of garlic wrapped in foil and heads cut.
Chicken dripping
500ml of hot vegetable stock
1 tbsp of melted butter
1 tbsp of plain flour

For the Cauliflower Cheese

1/2 a large cauliflower
100 ml of double cream
bread crumbs for topping
100g of mexican cheese
100g + 100g cheddar cheese
3 rashers of bacon cooked
olive oil

Method

Lay your chicken legs in a baking tray, cover with oil and season. Cut an onion in quarters and put with the chicken, and stick your garlic bulb wrapped in foil in the baking dish with your chicken. Put in a preheated oven 180 degrees and cover tightly with foil for 30 minutes. Uncover after 30 minutes and leave to brown and go crispy about another 30 minutes.
Get your cauliflower and boil for five minutes. Stick it in a small dish and mix with the bacon , 100g cheddar and Mexican cheese. Drizzle over your double cream and some olive oil. Cover the top with the rest of your cheddar and some breadcrumbs, season and drizzle a little bit more olive oil.
Put in the oven with the chicken for about 30-40 minutes just make sure the top is nice and brown.
For the gravy, Take your chicken out, and put to one side and cover with some foil . Put the baking dish on the stove, on a low flame. In a bowl mix your melted butter with the flour, and start pouring it in the baking dish slowly, mix it all up and add your stock. (you should have the onion in there too , that was cooking in with the chicken.) Now get your garlic bulb, take out of the foil and squeeze the garlic out into the mixture. stir it all , and give everything a good blend with a hand blender. When the gravy is thick enough pour into a gravy bowl and serve in the middle of your table.

I served mine with some mash and green bean. But you can uise some savoury rice instead of the potatoes for a healthier version.

That's the picture of the bulb of garlic for the gravy, before put in the raosting tray .

Minced Beef Wellington and French Potatoes

I always wanted to do a wellington, ideally I would of rather done a fillet beef one. But it's so expensive now a days to buy such a big cut of fillet, and then cook it in pastry? Nah i would rather eat as nice big chunky steaks . So doing it with mince still gives me the challenge. Well you could call a giant Cornish pasti maybe or even a pie that looks like a sausage , that's the truth behind after all. Well it turned out nice, w all enjoyed it eating it and the best part of all , I enjoyed cooking it.

Minced beef Wellington

Ingredients

500g puff pastry
500g mince
1 cup peas
1 big carrot
1 onion
2 celery sticks
2 cloves of garlic
a handful of chestnut mushrooms
2 small potatoes
Fresh Rosemary finely chopped
Plain flour for dusting
Seasoning
2 eggs


Preparation time: up to an hour
Cooking time : 1 hour
Total time : 2 hours
Serves : 5-6
level: Medium/hard

Method

I chopped my vegetables all very finely. This will determine your cooking time. So you want to make sure this is cooked all over and nice and soft. So try to do your best with the chopping. I'm no chef, so i don't really have excellent skills but I do manage to do it quite well.
Add some oil to the pan. Add all your veggies and chopped rosemary except the peas.I think rosemary is and essential herb here. It gives a nice flavour. Well it is my favorite herb and I use in most of my dishes, it's so easy to grow , so I have it in my garden. Fry them on a low flame until soft and lightly browned. Add the peas and leave it to cook for another minute or two. Take off the heat and put in a bowl, leave it cool for an hour or so, it need to be completely cool before you wrap it up in the pastry. Otherwise your pastry won't hold at all it will collapse.
When it's completely cool mix the mince to the mixture and a beaten egg. Now you need to stick your hands in and combine the mixture. You could use a spoon but it doesn't work as good as your hands I'm afraid. Leave to one side for a minute until you roll the pastry out an a clean surface . You need it big enough to fit in all your mixture, and to fit in your baking dish. It needs to look a bit like a rectangle. Bring the longest side of the pastry right in front of you. With a brush go around it with the beaten egg. This will work like glue. Now on the edge in front of you get the mixture and put it down in a sausage shape. Roll it out with the pastry to the other end. Like rolling a pin forward, make sure you close the ends tightly. Bake in a preheated oven 180 degrees for an hour , on a low shelf. It needs to go nice and brown .

Baked French Potatoes

Ingredients

4-5 potatoes
1-2 onions
3 garlic cloves
Mixed herbs (dried)
olive oil
Vegetable stock
Seasoning

Total time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Serves : 4-5
Level : easy

Method

Slice you onion and garlic and with a tsp of mixed herbs in , fry very gently for 5-6 minutes. This will give you time to peel and slice your potatoes. Slice them quite thin and try to get them the same thickness all over. Get a small dish but big enough to fit all your potatoes, I used a small tart dish. Plus it looks nice even when served on the table. I like to leave it in the middle so everyone can help themselves . Start with covering the bottom of the dish with potatoes, and then sprinkle some of the onion mixture. You want to layer it like lasagna sort of it, a layer of each, top layer will be potatoes. Cover the potato mixture with hot stock. Seal with some foil and in the oven for 40 minutes covered. Take out and remove the foil and in for another 30 minutes.
Use 180 degrees preheated oven and top shelf.

Note: You want to put the potatoes in the oven at least 15 minutes before the wellington. As they might take longer to brown. But remember this is only guidelines as different oven and appliances may vary . I served mine with some steamed broccoli and cauliflower.