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Posted on April 25, 2015 by gorgefood

This is a quick and easy recipe out of my latest copy of Olive magazine.. tested for you!

I have added a few bits though and made it my own, the last 3 ingredients are things I added and I also reduced the amount of sugar in the original dish as I found it too sweet.

Ingredients

1 packet of lamb mince – 400g (or you could use beef if you prefer)
oil to fry
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 onion finely chopped
3 tbsp pine nuts
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp Red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
1 large handful Kale
2 roasted Red peppers chopped (from a jar)
half a red chilli – chopped without seeds. Depending on how spicy you want it you can increase or decrease this amount, I just wanted a hint of spice as I didn’t want to overpower the dish.

Fry the onion in a little oil until going soft then add the cinnamon and cumin and stir for a minute.

Cool the onions then add half of the mixture to the mince with 2 tbsp of the pine nuts and season well with salt and pepper.

Fry your meatballs in small batches until they brown all over the outsides then put them in a sieve while you make the sauce.

Put the onion mix into a frying pan or cast iron casserole dish and add the chilli and red peppers and fry for a few minutes,

Add tinned tomatoes, sugar, vinegar and boil for 5 minutes

Add the meatballs back into the pan/dish and cook for 15 minutes, adding a bit of water if it gets too thick. Cook for 15 minutes on a low heat turning the meatballs halfway through.

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When almost done stir through the kale which only takes a few minutes to cook and scatter with 1 tbsp toasted pine nuts. ( to toast the pine nuts just fry for a few minutes with no oil.) Check your seasoning and serve!

I served with a warm tortilla wrap. Easy Peasy mid week meal.

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Posted on April 15, 2015 by gorgefood

I wanted to make a Rouladen today, a traditional German dish that my German grandma used to make when I was a kid which is slices of beef spread with mustard and rolled around bacon, gherkins and onions and cooked in an onion gravy. I only had stewing steak in though which is way too thick so I have done a stew using the same flavours and it is very tasty!

My Grandma served this with buttery mashed potatoes mashed by me – probably the first thing I ever helped to cook 😉

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rouladen

Ingredients

serves 4

4 large pieces of Stewing Steak (Not chopped)
Streaky Bacon – 4 slices, chopped
8 large mushrooms peeled and quartered.
6 shallots halved
3 carrots in chunks – optional ( I just wanted to get more of my 5 a day in but it doesn’t really need them)
2 onions sliced
4 cloves of garlic chopped roughly in large chunks
5 Gherkins
3 tbsp mild German Mustard
1 tsp Mustard powder
1tsp dried rosemary
1tsp dried thyme
Salt
2 Pints Beef Stock, I used a stock pot
1 Oxo cube
A little cornflour paste to thicken (cornflour mixed with 1 tbsp water)
Black Pepper
1 large fresh bay leaf
2tbsp plain flour

Preheat oven to 160c, 140c fan gas mark 3

Season the stewing steak on both sides with salt and heat some oil in a frying pan. Seal the meat by cooking the meat for around 1 minute per side then spread one side of the beef with German mustard and then turn over in the pan mustard side down and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from the pan and set aside. You may need to do this 2 at a time to make sure the meat doesn’t stew in the pan if it gets over crowded.

Toss with the plain flour in a bowl and leave aside.

Heat some oil in a cast iron casserole dish and gently fry the sliced onions for a few minutes, then add the chopped streaky bacon, garlic chunks and fry for another few minutes. Then add chopped carrots, mushrooms and shallots and fry for 3-4 minutes.

Add the rosemary, thyme, crumbled oxo, a teaspoon of salt, a good twist of black pepper, 1 tbsp mild mustard, mustard powder, gherkins and a bay leaf and give it a good stir for a few minutes, then add the beef stock and put the steak back in and cover with the mixture. You could add some red wine for a richer dish but I really don’t think it needs it as the bacon, garlic and mustard give the dish intensity.

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Cook in the oven for around 2 hours, checking to see when the meat is tender. If the meat is tender but your sauce is too runny add some cornflour paste and cook for 15 minutes more.

I served with a root vegetable mash of potato, swede and parsnip, roasted parsnips and a slice of bread with real butter. Leaves a really rich taste in your mouth! A real hearty meal.

Next time I will make the traditional version that Grandma Gor used to make!

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Thanks Annie!

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Posted on April 14, 2015 by gorgefood

This is one of my fave Chinese style dishes, it’s my take on a dish I had at the Szechuan Red Chilli Restaurant in Manchester when it was on the specials menu, unfortunately it’s not always on the menu so I had to figure out how to make it for myself! I actually took this dish along to my first Masterchef audition and they ate the lot! It’s pretty simple but very effective.

Ingredients

1 packet of lamb neck fillet

1 tablespoon cumin powder

1tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp coriander power

1 tsp coriander seeds

1tsp salt

½ tsp chilli powder

1tsp white pepper

2 garlic cloves sliced thinly

1 medium onion sliced

Large handful of chopped coriander including some stalk

Slice the lamb into thin round slices and put in a food bag with the cumin and coriander powders, salt, pepper and chilli powder. Bash with a rolling pin to make the meat thin and tender and then ensure that the meat is evenly coated in the dry spices. Don’t worry if the meat looks really fatty and chewy, that will all disappear when it is cooked.

Fry the onions in olive oil a frying pan until going soft then add the garlic and cumin and coriander seeds and fry for a few minutes.

Add the lamb and fry until cooked through then add a large handful of chopped coriander at the end of cooking.

Serve with egg fried rice or noodles.

You can adjust the amount of heat in this dish by adding more/less chilli, you can also add a touch of Szechuan peppercorn if you like.

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Posted on April 13, 2015 by gorgefood

Sweet potato, Red pepper and lentil soup.

I rustled up a nice soup today which worked really well so here is the recipe… I went off a recipe in Delicious magazine but added a few things of my own.. the one in the magazine is called “Coconut, lentil and sweet potato soup” but the only coconut used is coconut oil.. which doesn’t actually taste of coconut so I am not sure what they were thinking with that name as people will be expecting something completely different!

Ingredients

serves 4

2 Sweet Potatoes cut into small chunks
1 tbsp Oil
1 large onion diced
2 garlic cloves chopped
3cm ginger, grated
1 tbsp Tomato puree
2 Roasted red peppers chopped – you can use ones from a jar if you like its much easier.
1 Courgette peeled and grated.
1 bay leaf
a large handful of red lentils
2 pints of veg or chicken stock ( I used a stock pot)
half a red chilli

Heat the oil in your pan and lightly fry your onion with some salt and pepper. When it starts to go soft add the garlic chilli and ginger and fry for another minute.

Stir in the tomato puree, chopped red peppers, grated courgette and sweet potato chunks and cook for a few minutes.

Add the bay leaf lentils and stock and bring to the boil for 5 minutes.

Simmer for a further 20 minutes, remove the bay leaf and then blend.

Season with salt and pepper.

If you want a thinner consistency blend before adding the lentils and then simmer until they go soft.

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Posted on March 13, 2015 by gorgefood

Just something I found on the internet today, I wanted a tasty curry that doesn’t use coconut milk (fattening) to use up some of the Tiger prawns I have.  This is definitely a keeper! I have done a variation on this curry,

http://www.indiankhana.net/2013/03/Chettinad-Prawn-Curry-Chettinad-Eral-Kuzhambu-Recipe.html

depending on what I had in the cupboards, and what I felt like it needed after tasting! This is quite hot so use less chilli if you can’t take the heat.

It looks really complicated as its a long ingredient list but it really isn’t if you have all or most of the spices.

Ingredients

Spice mix

1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
1/2 tsp Fennel Seeds
1/2 tsp carom seeds
1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds
1 tsp Coriander seeds
8 black peppercorns
1 Red dry chill
1/2 small piece of cinnamon
2 cloves
2 Green Cardamon
pinch of Mace if you have it.

I still have some spice mix left over though so I reckon it could make 2 or 3 curry this lot!

300g Tiger Prawns – Uncooked are best.
2 onions chopped
2 large tomatoes
1 Green chilli chopped
1 tsp Coriander powder
1/2 tsp Tumeric powder
1 tsp chilli powder (depending on how hot you like it)
2 tbsp oil
Pinch of asafetida if you have it.
5/6 Curry leaves
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tbsp garlic ginger paste
small piece of tamarind ( I didn’t have this so just used some tamarind sauce! 1tbsp)
salt
sugar
Chopped Coriander
2 cloves of garlic finely sliced.
Large knob of butter

Dry fry the spice mix until it gets fragrant then whiz in a food processor or bash in a pestle and mortar.

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Rinse the prawns and add 1/2 tsp turmeric and 1 tsp salt and mix well. Rest for 10 minutes then rinse again.

If using tamarind, soak in 1/2 cup of water for 10 -15 minutes and extract the pulp.

Coarsely chop the onion tomato and green chilli.

Heat some oil in a wok or frying pan and add the asofetida and mustard seeds, when it starts to splutter add the curry leaves, onion, green chilli, ginger garlic paste and sauté until it gets soft.

Then add the chilli powder, turmeric and coriander powder and mix well – cook for a minute.

The add the tomato and cook until it starts looking like a pulp.

Add the tamarind sauce or extract, 1/2 pint of water pinch of salt and bring to the boil then simmer for 2 minutes.

Add 2 tsp of your ground spice mix and boil again then simmer for 5 minutes. At this point I removed half the mixture and put in a food processor and whizzed it up for 10 seconds until it became like a thick lumpy sauce to make it more like a curry house texture but still retaining some of the big chunks of onion in the pan. Mix the sauce back in with the rest and add the slices of garlic.

Cook on a low heat until it becomes thick and keep tasting to see if the flavours are coming through. At this point I added a large knob of butter for some richness and a tsp of sugar. You could also add a splash of white wine vinegar to give it a tangy taste.

When you think the sauce is done and tastes right add the prawns and cook briefly until they are cooked through ( pink) This should not be long so don’t overcook the prawns or they will just be chewy.

Serve with basmati rice and chopped coriander.

You could even stir some spinach through at the end to add a bit of goodness, but I hate spinach 😉

You can probably do this dish with chicken or lamb too but you would add them earlier on at the  Chilli, turmeric and coriander stage.

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Posted on March 2, 2015 by gorgefood

Braised steak with Onions, Mushrooms and Jerusalem Artichokes

I have had a packet of Jerusalem Artichokes in the fridge for a week and did not know what to do with them! Tonight I put some in a stew and roasted some to go alongside it. I think I like them.. a lot!

I have never seen them in the usual Supermarkets  and have always wanted to try them but looked for some on line and saw that Ocado were selling them so bought a bag. Next time I think I will make a soup with them.

No photo this time – I was too busy scoffing it and forgot to take a picture!

Ingredients

Serves 2

1 Packet of braising steak enough for 2 people
3 small onions sliced thickly
1 tablespoon sugar
1 packet of button mushrooms ( leave them out if you are a mushroom hater)
2 Jerusalem Artichokes, peeled and cut into chunks
Half a bulb of garlic – cut horizontally
2 bay leaves
a splash of rum or brandy
3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Salt
Pepper
Plain flour to coat the meat
2 x Oxo cubes or similar
1 tablespoon of mild mustard.
1 Tablespoon cornflour

Pre heat the oven to 160/Gas mark 3

Season the steak well with salt and pepper and then dust with flour. Fry for about 1 minute on each side in a pan with oil to seal the meat and put aside.

In a cast iron casserole dish (or frying pan if you don’t have one) cook the onions in a little oil until going soft then add the sugar and fry for a few more minutes to caramelise.

Add the chopped artichokes, garlic half and mushrooms and fry for 3 minutes.

Add a splash of rum and deglaze the bottom of the pan, then add the stock cubes, some salt and pepper, bay leaves and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well scraping the bottom of the pan then add the meat and 1 and a half pints of boiling water.

Transfer to the oven in a casserole dish and cook slowly for around 2.5/3 hours. Test the meat is done by putting a fork in to see if it falls apart easily.

After a couple of hours take a few spoonfuls of the gravy and mix in a separate bowl with a tablespoon for cornflour and add back into the casserole dish to thicken the sauce. If it is not thick enough towards the end of cooking just repeat. DON’T pour the cornflour in dry or it will go lumpy.

I had lots of sauce left which is now going in the freezer for the next Steak night!

I served with Kale, Cauliflower and roasted parsnips and Jerusalem Artichokes.

Not a scrap left on the plate.

I will take a photo next time I make it and update, as this WILL be made again! The adddition of the artichokes really gave it a new dimension.

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Posted on February 19, 2015 by gorgefood

I love dumplings! I made about 25 of these last night and we scoffed the lot between 2 of us! I still had some mixture left over too so I would say that this amount could probably make 30+ dumplings.

Ingredients

Filling

Half a packet of minced pork
8 raw king prawns – chopped finely
1 – 2 inch sized piece of ginger – grated. The ginger really makes this dish so be generous
1 large clove garlic – grated
splash of soy sauce
splash of sesame oil
1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
1 tsp of salt
Handful of finely chopped coriander – including stalk
2 spring onions chopped finely

Dipping Sauce

Small clove of garlic – grated
1 tbsp chopped coriander with stalk
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
pinch of sugar. 
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
Splash of chilli oil if you want a spicy dip.
Packet of Gyoza wrappers – can be found in the freezer at the Chinese supermarket

Method

Prepare the dipping sauce by mixing all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Mix all the filling ingredients together with your hands in a bowl squeezing the mixture together. Tip – The best way to peel ginger is to scrap with a teaspoon!

Lay out the gyoza wrappers and wet the edges of each with a little water

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place a spoonful of the filling in each and then fold over into a semi circle and pinch the edges together so there are no gaps.

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Heat a little oil in a frying pan – I use olive oil spray and add the dumplings to the pan but not too many at a time.( I did these in 2 batches) Fry gently until the bottom of the dumplings until they can lift from the pan.

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Leave the dumplings in place and pour in 5 tablespoons of boiling water and cover immediately, this will steam the dumplings.

Check after 4-5 minutes and if the outside has gone see through they are done.

Eat immediately and don’t forget to dip!

I made a large batch of these tonight to maybe save some.. we ate the lot!

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Posted on February 15, 2015 by gorgefood

Last but not least! a tasty crispy pork dish with a fiery sauce!

There are 2 parts to this recipe, I would suggest making the sauce ahead of the pork.

This is a recipe from Olive Magazine.

Szechuan Chilli sauce

Ingredients
makes 150ml.

1 tbsp chilli flakes
2 tsp crushed Szechuan peppercorns
100ml Oil
3 tbsp Chicken stock
2 tsp Hoi Sin sauce
2 tsp tomato puree
pinch of sugar
pinch of salt
1 tsp white wine vinegar.

Put the chilli flakes into a hot wok with 1 tbsp of oil and heat gently until the pan starts to smoke stirring constantly to avoid burning.

As the chilli flakes absorb the oil add more 1tbsp at a time until you have a paste. This should take around 5 mins.

When the flakes begin to darken add the peppercorns, take off the heat and add half the stock. Stir and return to a medium heat.

Add the hoi sin sauce, tomato puree, remaining stock and a pinch of salt and sugar.

Stir all the ingredients adding more stock and oil if needed then add the vinegar just as you take it off the heat.

Crispy pork
Serves 4

Ingredients

4 pork steaks
200ml Garlic juice. ( I didn’t know what this was so made it from blending 3 large garlic cloves and water!)
4 tsp Shaoxing Wine
4 tsp White wine vinegar
2 tsp Chinese 5 spice powder
4 tbsp Cornflour
Oil
4 finely sliced red chilli’s ( seeds removed if you don’t want it red hot!)
4 garlic cloves crushed
4 spring onions chopped
A pinch of crushed Szechuan peppercorns.

Cut the pork into thin strips and put in a bowl. pour over the garlic juice, shaoxing wine, wine vinegar and five spice and leave for 10 minutes.

Remove and coat with cornflour.

Heat a an inch of oil in a saucepan and deep fry the pork in batches until it is crispy and golden.

Remove most of the oil and fry the garlic, chilli and spring onion for a minute then add the pork back in the wok and season with salt and peppercorns.

Fry for a minute the serve with a drizzle of the sauce you made earlier! but be careful as it is hot. I served mine on the side just in case!

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Posted on February 15, 2015 by gorgefood

If you only make this for the sauce you have to try it! I will be making a large batch of this sauce and trying it with everything, I love it!

This recipe was in Olive magazine.

Ingredients

Serves 2. This recipe needs at least 1 hour marinating time but is very easy.

8 Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
Cooking oil

For the Marinade

2 tbsp Sriracha chilli sauce (can be found in Chinese supermarkets, substitutes wont work as well)
2 tbsp light or sweet soy sauce
3cm piece of ginger – grated finely
3 tbsp Soft brown sugar
3 tbsp Rice wine vinegar
1 Lime – juiced
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp Ground Tumeric
1 clove of garlic finely chopped

Mix together all the marinade ingredients – EXCEPT the garlic. and set aside half of it for the dipping sauce.

Add the garlic to the remainder and put the chicken thighs in to marinade. Leave for at least 1 hour or covered overnight in the fridge.

Drizzle a little oil on the chicken and cook on a griddle pan and season with salt and pepper.

Serve with the sauce to dip the chicken into.

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Posted on February 15, 2015 by gorgefood

Adapted from a takeaway fave! Tasty and meaty, spicy mushrooms!

Ingredients

serves 2 as a starter or serve with rice and noodles as a main

1 packet of mushrooms – closed cup, button or chestnut.
2 cloves of garlic – chopped finely
1 small onion diced finely
1 small green pepper diced finely
2 red chillis – seeds taken out if you don’t want it too spicy
Cornflour
Salt
Pepper – I used crushed white peppercorns but ground black peppercorns is fine.
1 tsp crushed Szechuan peppercorns ( not essential)
Cooking oil
Spring onion to serve.

Chop your mushrooms into quarters if large, or in half if small.

Put in a bowl with a generous amount of salt and pepper and half the Szechuan peppercorns and cover them in corn flour. shake the bowl around until the mushrooms are coated loosely.

In a frying pan gently fry the onions peppers and chilli on a medium heat until soft then add the garlic, a generous amount of salt and pepper and half a tsp of Szechuan peppercorns and fry for a further 3 minutes. Be careful not to burn.

Then shallow fry the coated mushrooms in 2cm of oil in small batches. If you add them all at once there wont be “muchroom” and they wont get a crispy coating.

Toss the mushrooms in the vegetable mixture and serve with some chopped spring onion!

Also works with prawns.

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