Exploring new ingredients, recipes and combinations is a great way to spend a Saturday night in my book. My sister involved me in the process of creating an exciting recipe, that I had not even fathomed in my wildest foodie dreams. We started by marinading two lamb neck fillets. (Really reasonably priced and a great cut.) We coated the lamb in nutmeg, cumin, paprika, dried thyme and olive oil. The lamb was seared in a frying pan to bring out the spices. It was then placed in a dish and put in the oven for 15 minutes. We wanted it juicy pink in the middle, crisp on the outside. Meanwhile we made couscous, mixed with fresh flat leaf parsley, a fresh de-seeded red chili, a squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil. We then mixed harissa in to some yogurt, with a drizzle of olive oil and more parsley. My sister stuffed roasted red peppers with delicious, Cheddar cheese and placed these in to the oven alongside the lamb. Take shop bought flat breads and drizzle them with olive oil, garlic and parsley, place them in damp parchment paper, wrap them and place them at the bottom of the oven for 5 minutes. Lastly mix olive oil, lemon juice, a pinch of salt, pepper and paprika in to a bowl of humus. You are done my friend! Place these fantastic things together and enjoy! It really is a sensational array of flavours. (If you wish you can substitute the parsley for mint, oregano or thyme). - This recipe was taken from +Jamie Oliver 'Jamie's 30 Minute Meals.' Give it a go!
Gong Hey Fat Choy! (Happy New Year in Cantonese). To celebrate the year of the snake, I created this delicious, simple, prawn chow mien dish. I started by prepping my vegetables: one red pepper, some broccoli florets and stalks (new secret), chestnut mushrooms, two cloves of garlic, and one red onion. Wash and devein your prawns, to make sure they are all lovely! Marinade the prawns in a few splashes of soy sauce and one clove of chopped garlic. I then added a few twists of red and black peppercorn, for the extra heat. Stir fry your vegetables, starting with the broccoli and pepper in hot oil (sesame if you have it) in a wok. Splash some light soy sauce on to your vegetables. After about three minutes add the rest of your veg, reserving the garlic. In a separate pan fry your prawns on a high heat evenly. Put a pan of water on to the boil. Once bubbling, drop in your noodles (you can use spaghetti or other noodles if you like). When your prawns have turned pink and plump, press them to check they are springy enough. Drain your noodles, and splash with some light soy sauce. Add the noodles and remaining garlic to the wok with the vegetables. Mix it all together. Serve your noodles in a bowl and place your prawns on top. Enjoy! (TIP- When cutting the broccoli stalks, make them in to julienne strips. They cook faster and taste brilliant!).
'Be it true?' became a popular phrase during a card game between friends. It was another way of expressing surprise over a decent hand. This phrase got me thinking about restaurants, more specifically because it was invented by boyfriend. He and I ventured out not too long ago to a 'chain' restaurant outside of the 02 arena in Greenwich, London. We thought we'd be 'bold' and try somewhere we'd not been before. When it comes to choosing what to eat, for me in particular, it can be quite a challenge. I suggested to my boyfriend that he try the BBQ pulled pork fajita, as I always hear good things about BBQ pulled pork. So he did. I ordered the Santa Fe chicken fajita, which is in the image above. I was pleased with what I selected. There was a nice tomato flavour to the fajita, the salad was sharp and sweet. Even the coleslaw was nice! (I don't like coleslaw, unless it's homemade, snob.) However, my boyfriend didn't enjoy his meal. I felt responsible as it was my suggestion, and so I wondered, how do 'you' decide what you should eat and why? Have you ever been disappointed by a restaurant meal? Or pleasantly surprised? Leave a comment with your response!
Where to begin? My big sister has recently got in to gluten-free foods. She suggested we attempt to make a cake recipe. We did. Here is a list of the ingredients if you wish to give it a go! - 100g ground almonds, 50g desiccated coconut, 125g coarse ground polenta, 1 and a half tsp gluten-free baking soda, 115g unsalted butter, 65g golden caster sugar, 2 large eggs, rind of 2 lemons and the juice of 1. For the icing: Juice of 1 and a half lemons, 125g icing sugar, 1 tbsp water, handful of pistachios. Method: Pre heat the oven to 170c and grease a muffin tin. Mix almonds, coconut, polenta, & baking soda in a bowl. In a separate bowl, or electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until pale. Add the eggs to the butter and sugar, one egg at a time and mix thoroughly. Add lemon juice. Fold the dry mixture into the wet mixture, and pour into a greased muffin tin. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. While the cakes are in the oven, add the sugar, water and lemon to a pan and warm on a medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Coarsely chop the pistachios. Take the cakes out of the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Drizzle the icing sugar on top and sprinkle a few crushed pistachios over. (P.S- this is not our recipe, my sister found it on the net.) Enjoy it with a cup of tea!
Simple suppers, enjoyed at home. A couple of weeks ago, my Mum and I fancied making our own version of the classic 'fish and chips'. We explored our local supermarket and were slightly disappointed in the selection of fresh fish. Never fear. We had a look in the freezer section and behold, a bag of Pollock fillets. (Quite a bargain actually!). The rest of the ingredients we had at home. To make our tasty dish, take one fillet of fish (preferably sustainably sourced), dust it in plain flour, then dip it in some beaten egg, place onto a pile of breadcrumbs and coat. Repeat this step twice for extra coverage and golden, crumby, flaky-ness. Peel and chop some white potatoes. Get a pan of sunflower oil on, as it can take a while to heat up. Once bubbling, drop in a cube of bread to see if it's ready. Place your fish into a hot oven for 15-20 minutes. Batch fry your chips until golden, crisp and fluffy in the middle. Put a pan of peas on the hob. There you have it. Plate up your magnificently easy, simple and tasty dinner, garnishing with a few turns of sea salt, malt vinegar and a squeeze of lemon. Classic!
