Category: Cooking

MR GREEDY’S KITCHEN
Christmas Cookies

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

1/3 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups of plain flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup white baking chips

Pre-heat oven to 180C. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars until crumbly, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, salt and baking soda in another bowl, gradually add to the butter mixture and mix well. Stir in the cranberries and chocolate chips. Drop a tablespoonsful of mixture on to prepared and lined baking trays 2 inch apart. Bake until lightly browned 8-10 mins. Cool slightly and transfer to wire racks

 

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Fruitcake Christmas Cookies

1cup butter, softened

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-2/3 cups plain flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1-1/2 cups dates, finely chopped

110g red candied cherries, halved

110g candied pineapple, diced

1/2 cup whole hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped

1/2 cup pecan nuts coarsely chopped

1/2 cup walnuts coarsely chopped

Pre-heat oven to160C. In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the

egg and vanilla. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt, gradually beat into creamed mixture. Stir in remaining ingredients and mix well to combine. Drop teaspoons of dough mix onto prepared lined baking trays about 2 inch apart. Bake until golden brown, about 15 mins. Cool and transfer to wire racks

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Lemon and Rosemary Shortbread

2 cups plain flour

1/4 tsp salt

1-1/2 tsp lemon zest

1 tsp minced fresh rosemary

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven 160C. In a small bowl, whisk the flour, salt, lemon zest and rosemary together, set aside. In a food mixer, beat the butter and icing sugar together until smooth and creamy, about 3 mins. [ NOT HIGH SPEED TO START ]. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon juice. Slowly add in the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Form the soft dough into a disk shape and wrap in cling film. Chill for at least 1 hour or until firm in the fridge. Prepare and line baking trays.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut dough into squares, rounds, or shape of your choice using lightly floured cookie cutters. Re-roll until all the dough has been used. Place shortbread on the prepared baking trays and bake for about 10-12 mins, or until cookies are lightly browned around the edges. Sprinkle with caster sugar while still warm, remove to wire racks to cool. Be careful handling while still warm, they will be crumbly and break

 

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Chocolate Gingerbread Brownies with Fudgy Icing

400g dark chocolate, broken into chunks

25g cocoa powder

250g golden caster sugar

250g butter, plus extra for the tin

1 tbsp. ground ginger

140g ground almonds

6 large eggs, separated

For the icing

100g butter, chopped

50g dark chocolate, broken into chunks

50g cocoa

200g icing sugar, sifted

few chunks of crystallised ginger, chopped into small pieces

2tbsp ground ginger

Preheat oven 180C fan. Butter a 20cm x 30cm cake tin, and line base and sides with baking parchment. Heat the chocolate, cocoa, sugar and butter together in a saucepan over a low heat. Once the chocolate and butter have melted and the sugar dissolved, remove from the heat and stir in the ginger and ground almonds, followed by the egg yolks one at a time. Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Using a metal spoon, stir in a couple of spoonfuls of egg whites into the chocolate mixture to loosen, then gently fold in the rest. Transfer the mixture to the tin. Bake for 30 – 35 mins until the top is set and the centre doesn’t wobble too much. Leave in the tin on a wire rack to cool completely.

Once cool make the icing. Gently heat the butter, chocolate, cocoa, icing sugar, ground ginger and 4 tbsp. of water in a pan, stirring until you have a smooth icing. Pour over the cake, [still in its tin], leave for about 2 mins to cool slightly, then scatter over the crystallised ginger. Leave to cool completely before cutting into bars. Serve with ice cream or whipped double cream.

 

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Baked Cod with Garlicky Spinach and Chick Peas [ serves two ]

2 cod loins, about 175g each

pinch dried chilli flakes

grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

2 tbsp. chilli oil

1med onion, sliced thinly

1 large clove garlic, finely chopped

400g can of good quality chick peas

250g spinach, washed

Preheat oven to 180C fan. Pat the cod dry, then place them, skin side [if any ] down in a shallow, non-stick roasting tin. Season and sprinkle over the chilli flakes and the lemon zest. Drizzle over half of the oil and bake for 20 mins, until the fish is opaque and cooked through. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a deep non-stick pan or wok and cook the onion for 6-8 mins, stirring often until golden. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute. Tip in the chick peas and warm through for about 2 mins. Add the spinach and cook, stirring occasionaly, for two mins, until wilted. Season and serve with the cod. Serve with buttered baby new potatoes.

 

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Blueberry Pudding

300ml whole milk

284ml double cream

100g plain flour

75g caster sugar

2 large eggs beaten

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

150g blueberries

icing sugar to dust

Lightly butter a 20cm oven proof dish. Preheat oven to 180C fan. In a pan heat the milk and cream until they are hot, NOT BOILING, then set aside. In a bowl add flour and sugar, then slowly add the beaten eggs to make a smooth batter. Whisk in the cooled milk and vanilla extract until smooth. Pour into dish, then scatter the blueberries over the top. Cook for about 1 hour until mixture has set and is golden in colour. Remove from the oven and dust with the icing sugar.

Serve with vanilla ice cream

 

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Sweet Potato and Blue Cheese Pancakes

1 sweet potato, scrubbed and cut into chunks

500g potatoes scrubbed and cut into chunks (Maris Piper)

3 tbsp. olive oil

2 medium red onions, diced

4 large garlic cloves crushed

1/2 lemon juiced

50g plain flour

120g blue stilton

Boil the potatoes until just tender. Drain and set aside. Heat 1/2 tbsp. of the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onions and 3/4 of the garlic and cook for about 10 mins until soft. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Put the remaining garlic and lemon juice in a small bowl and set aside. Transfer the potatoes to the mixing bowl with the onions and mash roughly. In a separate small bowl, mix the flour with 80ml water and stir to make a batter; add to the potatoes. Crumble in the stilton, season and mix together. Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Spoon 3 tbsp. of the mixture per pancake into the pan, working in batches as needed. Cook for about 5 mins on each side until browned. Add a little more oil as required. Toss

together a green salad of your choice, lettuce, spinach cherry tomatoes. Mix 1 tbsp. of oil into the lemon juice and garlic mix and drizzle and mix over the salad. Serve and enjoy.

 

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Indian Butternut Squash Curry

200g brown basmati rice

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 butternut squash diced

1 large red onion, diced

2 tbsp. mild curry paste

300ml vegetable stock [ oxo ]

4 large tomatoes, roughly chopped

400 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

3 tbsp. Greek yogurt

small handful chopped fresh coriander

Cook the rice as per pack instructions. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the butternut squash for about 2-3 mins until lightly browned. Add the onions and the curry paste and fry for 3-4 mins more. Pour over the stock cover and simmer for about 15 mins until squash is tender. Add the tomatoes and chickpeas, then gently cook for a further 3- 4 mins, until the tomatoes slightly soften. Take off the heat and stir through the yogurt and coriander. Serve with the rice and wholemeal chapattis

 

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Tomato & Thyme Cod

1tsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

400g can chopped tomatoes

1 heaped tsp light brown soft sugar

few thyme sprigs, leaves stripped

1 tbsp. soy sauce

4 cod fillets

Heat oil in a large frying pan, add onion, then fry for 5-8 mins until lightly brown. Stir in the tomatoes, sugar, thyme and soy sauce. Bring to the boil. Turn down and simmer for about 5 mins, then slip the cod into the sauce. Cover and cook gently for about 8-10 mins until cod flakes easily. Serve with Boston or Fine beans and boiled new potatoes.

 

 

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MR GREEDY’S

Chicken with a Leek and Bacon Cream Sauce

4 chicken breasts

3 leeks, sliced and washed

200g smoked streaky bacon, cut into slices

300ml double cream

80g flour

80g butter

300ml whole milk

Good knob of butter for frying

300g strong mature cheddar cheese, grated

Salt and black pepper to taste

Fry the bacon in the butter until just done, remove from pan and set to one side. Add the leeks to the bacon juices, add more butter if required. Cook until soft. Put with the bacon; tip over any juice from the pan. Make the white sauce: Melt 80g of butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour, with a whisk add the milk. Still on the heat, keep whisking until all the lumps have gone and thickened up. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cream and more milk if too thick. If too runny, mix a little flour and milk in a cup and add to the sauce until it has thickened. Add the cooked leeks and bacon; stir in. Add the cheese and stir until melted. Tip half the sauce into an oven proof dish. Place the chicken on top of the sauce. Tip the rest of the sauce over the chicken. Cover with foil, cook for about 30 – 35 mins until chicken is cooked. Serve with baby buttered new potatoes and a green veg or with cooked long grain rice.

 

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MR GREEDY’S 

Strawberry Shortcake

11/2 cups SR flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup icing sugar

150g butter, softened

1 large egg, beaten

250g cream cheese

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup strawberry jam

2 cups strawberries

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 180C Fan . Place flour, baking powder and icing sugar in a bowl. Mix to combine. Cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add egg and a little milk if necessary; mix to form a stiff dough. Draw a 20cm circle on a piece of baking paper and place on an oven baking tray. Press dough out to fill circle. Bake for about 20 – 25 until golden and soft to touch. COOL BEFORE ADDING THE TOPPING. Soften the cream cheese and mix in the icing sugar (1/4 cup) Spread cream cheese over the shortcake and then cover with strawberry jam. Hull the strawberries and cut in half, if large. Arrange strawberries over the shortcake. Heat water and sugar (1/2 cup) together in a saucepan over a medium heat, stirring until dissolved. Increase heat and cook sugar mixture until a light golden colour. Cool slightly then pour over strawberries. Working quickly, use a fork to pull threads up from the caramel.

 

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Mr Greedy’s Tip. –

 

Peeling fresh root ginger with a teaspoon. Due to its shape removing the skin can sometimes be a little awkward and wasteful if using a knife or peeler. Hold the ginger in one hand the normal way and scrape the skin off with the round nose end of a teaspoon held in the other. No more cutting off those awkward bits, less waste. Instead of trying to chop up the ginger use your potato peeler, like a mini mandolin. Slice thinly along the grain for your favourite Chinese meal.

 

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