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Cooking, Recipe and Food Blog

Mixed Bean Chilli

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Colourful, taste and cheap to make, this dish makes a superb mid-week supper, especially when served with rice.
Mexican Bean Chilli
Because of the time taken to soak, pre-cook and cook, it’s best to plan well in advance, and then use a slow cooker, left on all day whilst you’re out. Make sure you vigorously boil the Kidney Beans and Black beans to destroy the toxins that are in them.

To Serve 6
2tbsp Corn Oil
1 Onion, chopped
1 Garlic Clove, finely chopped
1 Fresh Red Chilli, finely chopped (deseed if you want less heat)
1 Yellow Pepper, deseeded and chopped
1tsp Ground Cumin
1tbsp Chilli Powder
115g Dried Red Kidney Beans
115g Dried Black Beans
115g Dried Pinto Beans
1l Vegetable Stock
1tbsp Sugar
Salt and Pepper

1. Heat the Oil in a large, heavy-bottomed Saucepan and add the Onion, Garlic, Chilli and Yellow pepper and cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally for five minutes. Mix in the Cumin and Chilli Powder, and stir for one to two minutes. Add the drained beans and stock and bring to the boil and keep boiling for fifteen minutes.
2. Pour the mixture to the Slow Cooker, cover and cook for around ten hours until the Beans are tender – if you’re leaving it for the entire day, it’s worth putting a little extra liquid in to make sure it doesn’t dry out too much.
3. Season with Salt and Pepper, ladle a third into a bowl, and mash well using a Potato Masher. Return the mashed beans to the Slow Cooker, and stir in well with the sugar.
4. Serve, sprinkled with Chopped Fresh Coriander

Photo Courtesy of: KSDigital

Goulash

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Goulash and Rice

This traditional Hungarian Stew has many different versions, dating all the way back to the ninth century. Try to find a Sweet, Hungarian Paprika for this recipe, as it suits it the best – the Caraway seeds taste a little like aniseed, so you may want to slightly change the quantity or even not include them altogether if you’re not a big fan of the taste.

To serve 4
4tbsp Sunflower Oil
650g Braising Steak
2tsp Plain Flour
2tsp Paprika
300ml beek Stock
3 Onions, chopped
4 Carrots, diced
1 Large Potato, diced
1 Bay Leaf
½ to 1 tsp Caraway Seeds
400g Canned Chopped Tomatoes
2tbsp Soured Cream
Salt and Pepper

1.       Heat half of the Oil in a large heavy based frying pan, and cut the steak into cubes about an inch across. Add the Steak cubes to the pan, and cook over a medium heat and cook until browned all over. Reduce the heat, and stir in the Flour and Paprika. Stir constantly for two minutes, and stir in the Stock, before bringing to the boil, then transfer the mixture to the slow cooker.

2.       Rinse the frying pan out, and heat the remaining oil in it. Add the Onions and cook over a low heat for five minutes until soft. Stir the Carrots and Potatoes and cook for a few minutes more, before adding the Bay Leaf, any of the Caraway Seeds and Tomatoes (with the Juices from the Can). Season to taste with Salt and Pepper.

3.       Add the vegetable mix to the Slow Cooker, and stir well. Cook on low for nine hours, until the meat is tender.

4.       Remove and discard the Bay Leaf, and then stir in the Soured Cream, and serve immediately.

Photo Courtesy of: RoolRool

Haddock and Potato Soup

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Haddock Potato Soup

This is a thick, creamy soup, with lashings of flavour and colour. This soup is a great Winter Warmer as a lunch, or brilliant served as a Starter for a meal. Serve with fresh, crusty rolls, and garnished with fresh Chopped Parsley. If you can’t find any Haddock, any white fish will be okay – just make sure there are no bones in there!

To Serve 4
2tbsp Butter
1 Onion, chopped
1 Leek, chopped
2tbsp Plain Flour
850ml Milk
1 Bay Leaf
1 tbsp Chopped Fresh Parsley
350g Smoked Haddock Fillets
450g Potatoes, cooked and mashed
6tbsp Double Cream
Salt and Pepper
Fresh, Crusty Rolls

1.       Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat and add the Onion and Leek and cook for three minutes or until soft, stirring frequently.

2.       Mix the flour in a bowl with enough of the milk to make a smooth paste, and stir into the saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly for two minutes, before gradually adding the rest of the milk.

3.       Add the Bay Leaf and Parsley, and season to taste with Salt and Pepper, before bringing to the boil, and reducing the heat and simmering for fifteen minutes.

4.       Rinse the Haddock fillets under cold running water, drain and cut into small chunks. Add to the soup and cook for fifteen minutes, or until the fish is cooked through and soft.

5.       Add the Mashed Potatoes and stir in the Cream, before cooking for a further two or three minutes. Remove from the heat, and discard the Bay Leaf.

6.       Serve in warmed bowls and with Fresh rolls and garnish with freshly chopped Parsley.

Photo Courtesy of: Bucklava

Twice Cooked Coconut Shrimp

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Dipped in a tasty batter, rolled in shredded coconut, fried and baked, these shrimp will simple amaze and delight anyone who tastes them. Especially when they try mixed with the home-made dipping sauce!

Deep Fried Shrimp

To serve 6
750gm Large Shrimp – Peeled and de-veined
½ Cup All-Purpose Flour
½ Cup Cornstarch
1tbsp Salt
½ tbsp Ground White Pepper
2tbsp Vegetable Oil
1cup Ice Water
2cups Shredded Coconut
Vegetable Oil (For frying)
½ Cup Orange Marmalade
¼ Cup Dijon Mustard
¼ Cup Honey
¼ tsp Hot Pepper Sauce

1. Peel, de-vein and wash the shrimp, before drying well on paper towels.
2. Mix the Flour, Cornstarch, Salt and White Pepper together, and add two tablespoons of Vegetable Oil and the Ice water, before stirring to blend well – make sure that there are no lumps.
3. Heat the oven up to around 150 C, and pour some Vegetable Oil in a pan and heat up.
4. Pour the Shredded Coconut into a shallow tray. Dip each Shrimp one at a time into the Batter, before dipping into Coconut. Once each Shrimp is coated, place in a frying pain of Oil heated to around 175C, and fry until lightly browned – around about four minutes.
5. Bake the fried Shrimp in the oven for around five minutes to finish them off.
6. Once the Shrimp have been taken out of the oven, leave to cool. During this time, combine the Marmalade, Mustard, Honey and Hot Sauce in a small bowl, and mix well.

Serve on the same plate, on a bed of shredded lettuce.

Photo Courtesy of: VeryGreen

Tod Man Pla

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Don’t know what these are? They’re Thai Fish Cakes. Different in taste and consistency to more traditional fish cakes, as they’re a bit spicier, and intended to be used as a main course when served with Rice.

Tod Man Pla (Thai Fish Cakes)

You can easily change the Fish used in these with Chicken or Pork, and they’ll still taste great, which makes them a very useful last minute meal idea! The mixture of tastes and textures in this dish make it a great party food, and a nice suprise for the tastebuds – just make sure you’ve let people know they are spicy before they bite in!

To serve 4

450g Skinless, Boneless Cod Fillet, cut into Chunks
1 Beaten Egg
1tbsp Thai Red Curry Paste
1tsp Brown Sugar
1tbsp Cornflour
1tbsp Chopped Fresh Coriander
75g Chopped Green Beans
4tbsp Oil

1.      Put the Cod chunks into a food processor, and pulse to have them chopped roughly.

2.      Add the Curry paste into the processor, as well as the Beaten Egg, Sugar, Salt and Cornflour. Blend well to make sure a nice mix.

3.      Pour the mixture into a large bowl, and mix in the Green Beans and Coriander.

4.      Cover the bowl with cling-film, and chill for forty five minutes

5.      Split the mixture into fifteen to twenty balls, and then flatten them slightly (to make a cake-like shape).

6.      Heat the oil in a pan (preferably a non-stick one…It’s easier to clean at the end!), over a medium heat.

7.      Cook the Fish Cakes in batches for around three to five minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Pat dry on a piece of crumpled Kitchen Paper.

8.       Serve with a Salad or Stir-Fried Green Vegetables and Rice.

Photo Courtesy of: Avlxyz

Meringues

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There’s nothing better than the look and taste of a fresh meringue – especially when you’ve made it yourself. These soft gooey peaks can be used for a whole mix of other recipes – try with fresh fruit, a coulis, or make into smaller sizes, and add extra flavourings and fillings to change the taste for a naughty treat – lemon, chocolate, raspberry and a passionfruit are all great flavours to add to this dish. That, or add small nuts, or chunks of chocolate inside them so that they’ll melt and be nice and gooey.

6 egg whites

350g Caster Sugar

1tsp White Wine Vinegar

2tsp Cornflour

1stp Vanilla Extract

1.       Heat the oven to 130 C, or Gas Mark 1, and Line two baking trays with baking paper

2.       In a large, dry bowl, beat the egg whites until they are stiff and full of bubbles

3.       Slowly add in the Caster Sugar, constantly whisking until it forms substantial peaks. At this point, add in the vinegar, cornflour and vanilla.

4.       If you’re going to add in any flavourings, do so now – the best way to do so is to add in some flavouring plus food colouring, and gently fold together in order to create a marbled effect.

5.       For larger meringues, spread out onto a trap, with a slight lip to hold whatever will be poured on top and bake for ninety minutes before turning the heat off and leaving to cool in the oven. For smaller meringues, bake for fifty minutes to an hour, and again, leave in the oven to cool.

Great toppings include fresh berries, sliced fruit (like peaches), or a variety of nuts with different sauces.

Photo Courtesy of: Stu Spivack

Vegetable Curry with Aromatic Rice

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Vegetable Curry with Aromatic riceThis dish is comfort food, but healthy and fast to make at the same time! If you want to make it hotter, add fresh Chilli in with the Garlic, or replace the medium Curry powder with a hotter variety.

The mix of vegetables in this dish mean that you can easily tailor it into something that you may be more comfortable with – try aubergine, courgettes, red onions and anything else that looks appetising.  The long list of ingredients is what gives this dish all the wonderful flavours and textures that you’d be looking for from a curry.

To Serve 4

1tbsp Vegetable Oil

1 sliced Onion

1 clove of finely chopped Garlic

200g Potato

200g Sweet Potato

125g Carrots

4tbsp Medium Curry Powder

125g Leaf Spinach

3 Tomatoes

75g Baby Corn

4tbsp Plain Yoghurt

Bunch of Coriander

½tsp Coriander Seeds

½tsp Cumin Seeds

2 Cardamom Seeds

200g Basmati Rice

1 Cinnamon Stick

5cm Lemon Peel

1.       Peel and chop the Potato, Sweet Potato and Carrots, quarter the Tomatoes, and chop the Coriander.

2.       In a large pan, heat the oil, and cook the onion for four minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for a further minute.

3.       Add the peeled and chopped Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes and Carrots, then cook for two more minutes. Add the Curry Powder, and stir in well.

4.       Start to cook the rice – crush the Coriander, Cumin and Cardamom seeds, and add these into the rice with the strip of Lemon Peel and Cinnamon Stick.

5.       To the large pan, add 200ml of water, and simmer for fifteen minutes with the lid on. Stir well, adding the spinach, tomatoes and corn, then replace the lid and cooking for five more minutes.

6.       Cook for five minutes, before adding in the yoghurt and lowering the heat for three or four more minutes to heat everything through.

Photo Courtesy of:

Crunchy Garlic and Herb Chicken Parcels

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Herb and Breadcrumb Chicken ParcelCrispy and golden on the outside, tender and full of juices on the inside, posh cooking doesn’t get much more enjoyable than these Parcels!

You can prepare these a day early, and chill in the fridge. This can allow the chicken to absorb some more of the flavours for longer, developing the tastes better.

To Serve 6

125g Softened Butter

5 crushed cloves of Garlic

6 plump, skinless Chicken Breasts

4tbsp Plain Flour

200g Breadcrumbs

1tbsp Dried Parsley

½tsp Paprika

1tbsp Dried Thyme

2 Eggs, Beaten

200ml Vegetable Oil

1.       Heat the oven to 200 C – Gas Mark 6.

2.       Mix the Butter, Garlic and Parsley together, and season to taste. Roll it into a long, thin sausage shape, and wrap tightly in cling-film. Place in the fridge to chill.

3.       Mark a cut into the side of each Chicken Breast to make a pocket, where you need to insert some of the chilled Herb Butter (after taking it out of the Cling-film!)

4.       Mix the Breadcrumbs with the Paprika and Thyme. Season well with Salt and Pepper. Pour the beaten Egg onto a large plate, the breadcrumbs on another plate and the flour on another.

5.       Cover the Chicken in the Flour, then into the Egg, then finally the Breadcrumbs, making sure that all of the chicken is well coated. Secure each Chicken Breast with a Cocktail stick in order to keep as much butter inside as possible.

6.       Heat the oil until very hot (a piece of bread should turn golden in about thirty seconds). Fry each Parcel for a minute or two until golden, then transfer into a large baking tray, and cook in the oven for fifteen to twenty minutes.

7.       To serve, remove all of the cocktail sticks, and drizzle and of the extra sauce over the top.

Photo Courtesy of Megan.Chromik