Category: Cooking

Red Onion and Goats Cheese Tart

2 tbsp. olive oil

4 large red onions, each peeled and cut into 8 wedges

2 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves

1 tbsp. balsamic glaze

1 sheet frozen ready rolled puff pastry, defrosted

150g good quality goat’s cheese, rind removed and broken into bite size pieces

Heat oven 170C fan. Heat the oil in a large pan add the onions and gently cook for about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme and balsamic glaze and season. Mix to coat the onions in the glaze. Cook for a further 4 to 5 minutes. Unroll the pastry onto a large non-stick baking sheet. Score a border 1cm from the edge, without cutting right through. Spoon the onion mixture over the pastry, within the border. Scatter the cheese over the onions and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until pastry has risen and is golden. Serve with buttered baby new potatoes and a mixed salad.

Sticky Apple, Sausage and Bacon

8 rashers of smoked streaky bacon

8 quality pork sausages

1 tbsp sunflower oil

2 red skinned apples, cored and cut into 8 wedges

2 red onions, peeled and thinly sliced

Heat the oven to 180C fan. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and gently fry the onions until just softened; transfer to a roasting tin and spread to cover the bottom. Roll the bacon around the sausages and secure with cocktail sticks. Just brown the sausages in the pan. Place the sausages on top of the onions and spoon the juices over the onions. Roast for about 15-20 mins then scatter the apple wedges amongst the sausages and cook for a further 10 mins until cooked. Serve with a well buttered mashed potato (Maris Piper) and buttered green beans

Pork and Pesto Cobbler

1 tbsp. olive oil

450g pork fillet, cut into 2.5 cm chunks

1 large red onion cut into wedges

2 large cloves of garlic, crushed

2 carrots, cut into 2.5 cm pieces

1 tbsp. plain flour

15g fresh rosemary, roughly chopped

1 vegetable stock cube, made up to 400ml

2 tbsp. red pesto

350g scone mix

2 tbsp. 4 seed mix

150ml whole milk and extra for brushing

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the pork. Cook for 3-4 mins stirring occasionally until browned all over. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Add the onion, garlic and carrots to the pan and cook for 5-6 mins until beginning to soften. Stir in the flour and rosemary, add the stock and bring to a simmer. Return the pork to the pan, season, mix well and simmer on a very low heat for about 15 mins. Stir in the pesto. Preheat the oven to 170C fan while the pan is simmering and make the scone topping. Tip the scone mix into a bowl and mix in about half of the seed and a pinch of salt. Add the milk and mix to a soft dough. Cut into 12 pieces, then use your hands to roll into balls and slightly flatten to about 2.5cm thick. Tip the mixture from the pan into a large oven casserole dish, place the scones on top of the scone mix around the edge in a circle. Brush with a little milk and sprinkle over the remaining seeds. Bake for about 25-30 mins until the topping is risen and golden. Serve with buttered herby new potatoes and a green vegetable.

Apple and Cardamon Cake

125g butter, softened + extra for greasing

20 cardamom pods, [or1½ tsp ground cinnamon]

150g caster sugar

2 large eggs

130g plain flour, sifted

30g ground almonds

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp fine sea salt

zest of 1 lemon, and 1 tbsp. of the juice

3 eating apples, peeled [use a softer apple]

1 tbsp. Demerara sugar

Preheat the oven to 170C. Grease and line a 20cmround, deep cake tin. Break open the cardamom pods, extract the seeds and grind to a powder in a pestle and mortar, set aside. Using a food mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in the eggs, flour, ground almonds, baking powder, salt, lemon zest and juice, and 1/2 of the ground cardamom [or cinnamon], until fully combined. The mixture will be quite stiff. Transfer to the lined tin and level out. Quarter the apples and slice away the cores. Put cored side down on a board and make thin parallel cuts into each piece, without cutting all the way through, so they remain intact, [like hassel back potatoes]. Position the apple quarters on top of the cake [cut to size if required] Stir together the demerara sugar and the remaining cardamom [or cinnamon] and sprinkle over the top of the cake. Bake for 55mins – 1hour 5 mins until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Check after 45 mins if browning too quickly, cover with foil. Leave to cool for about 10 mins and lift out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Serve with a spoonful of extra thick double cream.

Chicken and Chorizo Jumbalaya

1 tbsp. garlic olive oil

2 large skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sizes pieces

1 onion, diced

1 red pepper, thinly sliced

3 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped

100g chorizo, cut into chunks

1 tbsp. Cajun seasoning

250g long grain rice

400g can chopped tomatoes

350ml chicken stock, [use an oxo]

Heat the oil in a large frying pan with lid and brown the diced chicken breasts until golden, about 5 – 8 mins. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. In the same pan add the onion and cook for about 3 – 4 mins until soft. Add the sliced pepper, chopped garlic, chorizo and the Cajun seasoning, and cook for a further 5 mins. Add the chicken to the pan with the long grain rice, the can of tomatoes and the chicken stock. Stir well to combine. Cover and simmer for about 20 – 25 mins until the rice is tender. Stir during cooking.

Mediterranean Fish Casserole

2 tbsp. garlic olive oil

2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 red onions, sliced

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into strips

100ml dry white wine

2 x 400g can chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp. sun dried tomato paste

Salt and fresh black pepper

650-700g skinless firm white fish, cod, haddock, cut into large bit sized pieces

125g pitted black olives, cut in half

Fresh thyme sprigs to decorate.

Heat the oil in a large shallow non stick pan with lid, then stir in the garlic and onions. Cover and cook over a gentle heat for about 10 mins. Add the paprika and peppers and cook, stirring, for about 1 min. Add the wine and bring to the boil, then bubble to reduce the liquid by half. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste, then season. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 15 min. Add the fish and simmer for about 5-6 min until just cooked. Stir in the olives and serve. Garnish with thyme.

Serve with buttered French beans and rice

Chicken Nacho Grills

40g bag tortilla chips

4 medium skinless chicken breasts

200g tub fresh spicy tomato salsa

142ml pot soured cream

Good handful grated mature cheddar cheese.

Heat oven to180C. Crush the tortilla chips. Put the chicken breasts on a non stick baking tray, season, then slash each 3 times with a sharp knife. Spoon 1 tbsp. of salsa on top of each, then 1 tbsp. of soured cream. Sprinkle the chips over the chicken then the cheese. Roast for about 15-20 mins until the topping is golden and melting.

Serve with garlic bread.

Cheeseboard Macaroni Cheese

350g pasta shapes [use a mixture of shapes]

2 tbsp. butter

2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp mustard powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

3 tbsp. plain flour

500ml whole milk

250g mix of cheeses [ Cheshire, cheddar and camembert]

extra hard cheese for the topping

Cook the pasta according to the pack instructions, drain and set aside.

Melt the butter in a saucepan [ don’t burn it ], add the garlic and cook for a minute until softened, then add the mustard powder and cayenne pepper and cook for another minute more. Add the flour and stir to make a paste, cooking for about another minute. Take off the heat and gradually pour in the milk, a little at a time, whisking with every addition so the sauce doesn’t go lumpy. Return to the heat and cook for about 5 mins until thickened, then add the cheeses, stir until melted, and fold in the pasta. Heat oven to 180C. Tip the pasta into a baking dish, and top with some hard cheese such as cheddar or parmesan, season the top, salt and fresh black pepper and then bake for about 25 – 30 mins, until golden and bubbling. Allow to cool before serving.

Turkey Fricassee

50g butter

100g chestnut or button mushrooms

1 tbsp plain flour

100ml white wine

200ml chicken stock [use an oxo cube]

150ml double cream

800g leftover turkey [or a mixture to include, ham, pork and chicken] cut into chunks

small bunch of parsley

Heat the butter in a deep frying pan or sauté pan until just sizzling [ don’t burn it ] , then add the mushrooms and fry for about 4-5 mins until softened. Sprinkle over the flour and stir until a paste forms. Cook for a few more minutes. Splash in the wine and let it bubble for a minute, then stir in the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and stir in the cream. Season, then stir in the meat mixture. Simmer until the meat mixture is heated through, then remove from the heat and stir in the parsley. Serve with pasta, mash or rice.