Goodbye for now

So folks,

I'm sorry my posts have been few & far between, but just wanted to let regular visitors know that l am winding down blogging for a short while whilst l get alot of personal stuff sorted out.

thankyou to everyone who has read commented or been inspired to get into the kitchen :)

l will return with a new page in the summer x

Bye for now!

Oven baked Hake with a chorizo & parmesan crumb

Sorry for the long delay between posts, been very busy but l promise this recipe is worth it.

You can see I like to use chorizo in alot of my cooking, it's a great thing to keep in the fridge and you get an awful lot of flavour for your money. It's also a great way to turn cheap ingredients to be some thing special!

At the supermarket the other night there was a great pile of bagged fresh fish sitting in the reduced section, I was there like a shot a found and big piece of hake fillet. Hake is a meaty white fish, so if there's other white fish you can spot at a bargain, try it with that instead. Just remember to work out the cooking times out for your size of fish.

You will need:

1 hake fillet
Tennis ball sized piece of stale bread
Good inch of chorizo sausage
Handful of Parmesan shavings
2 dessert spoons of cream cheese

- First turn you oven to 190C. Line a baking tray with baking/parchment paper and splash in a bit of olive oil so the fish doesn't stick.
- Chop the chorizo into chunks and cook it gently in the pan until it goes all crispy.
Now this next bit does require using a mini chopper, or you could chop it all up with a knife and bash the bread into crumbs inside a freezer bag. But I have just bought a mini chopper / food processor, and it's making me lazy!
- Chunk up the bread and whizz it in the chopper until it looks like big breadcrumbs, then add in the crispy cooked chorizo (including all the lovely orangey oil in the pan) and a handful of parmesan shavings. Whizz again untill the chorizo is in small pieces and the breadcrumbs have turned a golden colour.
- Cut the hake fillet into 2 even pieces and place on the baking tray, spread over a thin layer of cream cheese and season with salt and pepper. Top with the cheesy chorizo crumb mixture.
- Cook the hake on the top shelf in the oven for 25minutes.

It works brilliantly with oven roasted cherry tomatoes.

Try it and see :)
Enjoy

Butternut Squash & Sweet Potato Soup

Sunshine Soup - when it's grey outside, make it shine in your kitchen!

A similar one to the sweet potato soup but with a silkier texture.

You will need:

1 small butternut squash (peeled and cut into chunks)
1 large sweet potato (peeled and cut into chunks)
Half a red onion
1 can of coconut milk
1 clove of garlic
Half a teaspoon of turmeric
Pinch of saffron (optional)
Olive oil

● Dice the onion and garlic and cook gently in a splash of olive oil and the turmeric.
● Once the onion has softened add the squash and potato to the pan and add enough water to just cover and bring the boil.
● Turn back down to a medium heat, stir in the coconut milk and the saffron if using.
● Simmer for 10 minutes or until the squash is soft.
● Take the pan off the heat and blend until smooth. Stir in a tablespoon of olive oil.

Enjoy.

Carrot & carraway cous cous

Just a quick variation on cous cous. Great side dish with lamb.

You will need:

1 carrot (grated)
1/2 diced red onion
Tsp ground coriander
Tsp ground turmeric
Tsp Carraway seed
Tsp tomato puree
Tsp garlic granules
Handful of chopped mushrooms (optional)
Mugfull of cous cous

Gently cook the onion in olive oil with the coriander, turmeric, mushroom (if using) and tomato paste. Cook until soft and add the carrot carraway and garlic.
(Put your kettle on) and then stir the cous cous in the pan until coated in the mixture. Once the kettle has boiled pour enough boiling water to cover the mixture by about 1cm, put a lid on the pan and turn off the heat.
Leave for 5mins until the cous cous has absorbed all the water.
Viola!

Time for tea part 3 - Honey roast ham, crumbled goats cheese topped veg and a honey balsamic drizzle

Another meal idea using the cola boiled ham recipe. Served with roasted sweet potato red peppers and red onions, topped with crumbled creamy goats cheese. And a bag of baby leaf salad that is drizzled with a honey balsamic dressing (I used a 1:1 ratio of good honey and balsamic vinegar with a pinch of salt and a pinch of garlic powder). Whisk in a cup untill its properly combined.

For the roasted veg chop up 2 sweet potatoes and 1 red pepper into chunks. Quarter the red onion into wedges and spread in a roasting tray. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. It will take about 30mins in a 190°c oven, just untill the edges of the vegetables are starting to catch.

The sweet sour combination of the dressing is so good with the creamy goats cheese and all the flavours worked together really well so just wanted to share :

Enjoy.

Beef 'Supreme' Quesadillas

So, the other day I slow braised a joint of beef (click here for a recipe) but with Spring finally starting to make an appearance I didn't want to use it for a heavy meal. After a quick scout around the kitchen I decided to make quesadillas. This is how I made them:

You will need: (for three people)

3 big handfuls of shredded beef (leftover roast/braised beef is a great option)
3 mushrooms thinly sliced (you can always pre-cook these if you like)
1/2 a red pepper thinly sliced
1/2 a small red onion thinly sliced
3 handfuls of grated mature cheddar
barbeque sauce (if you have your own recipe, go ahead, this time however mine came out of a bottle)
3 big tortilla wraps

Simply take each tortilla in turn and on half of it (draw an imaginary line down the middle as it's going to be folded) spread on a layer of barbeque sauce then sprinkle over a third of the the beef, sliced mushrooms, strips of red pepper and onion slices. Try to create a nice even layer, then top it off with a generous sprinkle of cheese. Fold over your wrap so it makes a nice semi circle. Complete the same process with the other wraps.

Get a frying pan on a medium heat and add a touch of oil. With each quesadilla in turn, toast for a few minutes each side, untill the wrap is nicely toasted and the cheese inside has gone all gooey.
Cut into wedges (I find a pizza wheel the easiest way) and serve with a big pile of salad and some nice bread/new potatoes/homemade chips if you're especially hungry!
These are a great alternative to pizza, and I presume with less bread/smaller portions they're much healthier!

Will add a photo next time I cook them (too busy chowing down too remember!)

Enjoy.

Blue Cheese Stuffed Burgers

After the success with the lamb koftas. I decided to try something similar with beef.

You will need:
500g lean beef steak mince
3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs
1 small grated red onion
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
3 dessert spoons of crumbled blue cheese

Mix everything except the blue cheese together in a bowl. scoop a palmful and make a dip in the middle, fill it with blue cheese and spread a small amount of the mince mixture over the top to seal the cheese inside. Shape into burger shape patties, you should have enough to make 5 burgers.

Cook in either a big frying pan or a griddle pan for 5 mins each side.
Serve on a toasted bun with whatever garnishes you like. Juicy and full of flavour!

Enjoy.