Category: Cooking

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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Garden Vegetable Pie (V)

2 packets Schwartz cheddar cheese sauce mix, plus milk to make

2 tsp mustard powder

200g mature cheddar, grated

2 / 3 large potatoes, sliced into rounds

1 head broccoli, cut into little florets

1 head cauliflower, cut into little florets

200g frozen peas

small bunch chives, snipped

Make the cheese sauce as per the packet, [double the quantity] add the mustard powder. Add all but a handful of the grated cheese.

Keep warm on a very low heat while you prepare the veg. [don’t let it catch and burn] Heat the oven to 180C. Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Cook the potato slices for about 5 mins, add the cauliflower and broccoli and cook for a further 3/4 mins. Finally add the peas and cook for a further 1 min. Drain well. Reserve enough potato slices to cover the top of the finished dish. Stir the chives into the sauce, Tip the vegetables into an oven proof dish. Pour the cheese sauce over the veg and mix to coat. Cover the top with the reserved potato slices, sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Season with fresh black pepper. Bake for about 20 mins until top is golden and crisp. Serve from the dish

 

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Caramelised Clementine Upside Down Cake

225g unsalted butter softened

2 tbsp unsalted butter

75g light muscovado sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 large clementines

1 clementine, zested and juiced

225g caster sugar

3 large eggs

225g plain flour, sifted

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 /3 tbsp. Cointreau

Heat the oven to 180C fan. Butter and line the base and sides of a 20cm spring form tin with non stick baking paper [make sure the side paper overlaps the base paper]. In a small sauté pan, melt the 2 tbsp. of butter on a low heat, add the muscovado sugar and the vanilla extract. Cook over a low heat until the sugar has melted and is glossy, about 3 mins. Remove from the heat add the Coin-treau, stir to mix and pour into the cake tin. Peel 3 of the clementines and cut into 3 rounds each. Lay these on top of the caramel big sides down, Use the last clementine if needed. In a food mixer cream the remaining butter with the caster sugar, add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the sifted flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt. Beat to mix well. Add the zest and juice of the clementine [the mixture may split but don’t worry] mix it well. Pour the mixture into the tin and cook for about 50 – 60 mins until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for about 20 mins. Place a large plate on top and invert it. Unclip the tin and remove the paper. Drizzle with a little liquid honey if desired. Serve with a good blob of extra thick double cream.

 

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MR GREEDY’S TIPS

Are you having problems in rolling pastry, Welsh cake mixture or other mixture that needs to be rolled? How do you roll your pastry evenly to the thickness of a pound coin? There is a very simple solution. If you use a longer type of rolling pin, the ends of the rolling pin need to be raised off your board. Use strips of plywood or plastic cut to size, about 300mm long x 25mm wide and the thickness that you require. On your floured board place a strip either side, within the length of the rolling pin. Place your mixture between the strips and roll as normal until the rolling pin rolls on the strips. Perfectly even thickness. To roll thicker mixtures, Welsh cakes and scones just add more strips to the thickness you need. Works every time

 

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MR GREEDY’S KITCHEN – JUNE

Tomato and Pesto Spaghetti

1tbsp. garlic olive oil

330g pack cherry tomatoes, halved

4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/2 tsp. crushed chillies, plus extra to serve (optional)

1 lemon, zested and juiced

350g dried linguine

3/4 x 190g spinach and ricotta pesto (or green pesto)

Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the tomatoes, season well and fry for 4 – 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften and caramelise. Stir in the garlic, chillies and lemon zest, reduce the heat to low and cook for 2 – 3 minutes until fragrant. Cook the linguine to pack instructions. Drain, reserving 2 tbsp. of the cooking water. Stir the pesto, lemon juice and reserved cooking water into the pasta. Use tongs to toss every thing together to coat. Toss through half the tomatoes, serve with the remaining tomatoes in a separate serving dish. Sprinkle with a small dish of extra chillies, if you like.

 

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MR GREEDY’S KITCHEN – JUNE 

American Skillet on Cornbread

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup plain flour

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup full milk

1 large egg

1/2 tsp. bicarbonate of soda

1/4 cup + 2 tbsps. shortening

smoked paprika for the top

Shortening is TREX hard cooking fat. St.Ivel Buttermilk, 284ml tub is the exact amount, available Tesco.

You will need a skillet /strong frying pan suitable for the oven. 26cm diameter. (No plastic handles)

Preheat the oven 200C. Sieve the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl, stir to combine. Measure the buttermilk and milk into a measuring jug and add the egg. Whisk together and add the soda; whisk again. Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir with a fork until well combined. In a small bowl, melt the shortening in the microwave, but do not overheat.

Slowly add the melted shortening to the batter, stirring until just combined. In the skillet, melt the remaining 2 tbsp of shortening over a medium heat. Pour the batter into the hot skillet. The batter should sizzle. Spread to even out the surface. Cook on the stove top for about a minute. Remove and sprinkle the desired amount of paprika over the top. Transfer to the oven and bake until golden brown, 20 – 25 minutes. The edges should be crispy. Check with a skewer. It’s easy to forget so don’t grab the handle of the skillet with your hand, as this will be very hot. Serve as a side for your BBQ.

 

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Chicken, Sausage and Squash Traybake

4 med skinless chicken breasts

6 good meaty pork sausages

500g squash, peeled and cut good bit sized pieces

2 red onions, peeled and cut into wedges

1 tsp. dried thyme

2tbsp. olive oil

50ml red wine

1 tbsp. maple syrup

1tsp red wine vinegar

½tsp. chilli flakes

200 chestnut mushrooms, halved

salt and freshly ground black pepper

fresh chopped parsley to serve

Preheat oven to 190C fan. Arrange the chicken, sausages, squash and red onions in a roasting tin and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle over the thyme and drizzle over 1 tbsp. of the olive oil, mix to coat. Mix the red wine with 100ml of water and pour this in. Roast for about 20 to 25 minutes. Turn sausages and chicken halfway through cooking. Mix the

maple syrup with the red wine vinegar and drizzle it over the roasting tin. Sprinkle over the chilli flakes. Add the mushrooms and drizzle with the other tbsp. of oil. Roast for a further 20 to 25 minutes until cooked through and well browned. Spoon over the pan juices to serve. Serve with long grain rice and or fresh bread rolls, warmed in the oven.

 

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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.

 

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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

 

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