February 25, 2011

Recipe for Ceviche for 2


Ingredients
• 200 gm of white fish cut into small bite size chunks

• juice of 1lemon

• juice of 1 lime

• 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil

• 1onion chopped

• Red pepper diced

• 2 ripe tomatoes diced

• 1 ripe avocado

• 1 Chilli chopped finely or Tabasco sauce

• Salt & Pepper

• Bunch of fresh coriander


Method
• Squeeze lemon juice over fish and leave in fridge 1-2 hours until flesh is opaque

• Drain liquid

• Add onions, red pepper and tomatoes and chilli if using

• Pour lime juice, olive oil, Tabasco ,

• Add salt and pepper to taste

• Serve with sliced avocado and chopped coriander on top







November 24, 2010

Recipe for Bœuf Bourguignon –serves 4

 
Since the temperature has plunged to around zero in the evenings, I love this dark and rich casserole. Served with potatoes or pasta it is warming and delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 kg stewing beef cut up into 1 inch chunks
• 1 finely chopped onion
• 100gm bacon cut into lardons
• 4 carrots
• 8 dried and soaked cèpes &/or 2oz mushrooms washed & chopped into quarters
• 300- 500ml red wine or half wine and half chicken stock
• ½ Tablespoons flour
• Salt & pepper
• 1 bay leaf and 2 teaspoons of dried or fresh thyme
• Oil for frying


Method

• Heat up oil in casserole and brown meat on all sides
• Take out and put in onions and cook till transparent along with lardons and garlic
• Pour out fat if there is too much
• Mix flour into oil to make roux and cook for 3 minutes
• Slowly add in wine to make smooth thick sauce
• Replace meat
• Add carrots & cèpes with their juice, herbs salt pepper
• Cover and place in oven at 175C for 2 - 2 ½ hour
• Just before end of cooking fry mushrooms in a little oil and mix into casserole

July 07, 2010

Recipe for Iced cucumber & mint soup – for 2
This soup, is ideal on  hot summer days and evenings and it's easiloy made.

Ingredients

• 1 chopped cucumber, peeled in strips so that some of the peel stays on to give colour
• 1 small potato peeled and chopped
• ½ onion finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoons single cream
• Salt & pepper
• 2 sprigs of mint
• 1 pint hot chicken stock

Method

• Heat butter in a saucepan over low heat and cook onion until translucent
• Add cucumber and stir for 1-2 minutes
• Add potato, stock, salt, pepper and half mint
• Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until vegetables are soft.
• Blend soup and then add cream
• Let the soup cool and then chill in  fridge. An hour before serving put it into the freezer so it's really cold.
• Adjust seasoning if necessary
• Serve with chopped mint on top

May 13, 2010

Clegg Cameron love - in pasta

 Tagliatelle with leek, courgette/ peas and bacon - for 2

 Ingredients
  •  150 grams of pasta (3 nests each person)
  • I large courgette or 2 small, chopped into rounds and then halved or quartered depending on size
  • A handful of frozen peas, de- frozen in boiling water.
  • I large leek chopped
  •  2 oz of bacon cut up into cubes
  • Half a tea cup of chicken or vegetable bouillon
  • Half a glass of white wine
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • Three tablespoons of cream
  • 2 oz parmesan
  • Salt and pepper

 Method
  • Fry bacon in 1 tablespoon of oil
  • Add leeks and courgettes and fry for 5 minutes
  • Then add bouillon and wine
  • Simmer for another 5 minutes
  • Cook pasta in boiling water with salt added for 10 minutes
  • Drain pasta and then return to pan with the remaining tablespoon of oil.
  • Add cream to the sauce, stir. If it is too dry add a little water
  • Serve on top of pasta with lots of grated parmesan



 

 

 

May 06, 2010

Election night special



This is my recipe for a happy election evening, whoever wins.

One bottle of wine

Cook your favourite pasta with  asparagus tips, chopped tomatoes, garlic, some olive oil and parmesan.

 Follow with a fruit salad of fresh pineapple, oranges, a little sugar and some vermouth or port

Sit yourself down in front of the telé armed with a bar of chocolate and the rest of the wine.

Enjoy!

http://www.yummy-recipes-galore.blogspot.com/  is a site for people to exchange recipes. Go on line and participate. The more the merrier.





May 04, 2010

Recipe for Asparagus risotto – for 2

Now asparagus is in season you need to make the most of it. You can follow this recipe using other vegetables like peas or pumkin but asaparagus is my favourite..

Ingredients

• 200 grams of Arborio or other risotto rice
• Half an onion finely chopped
• 450 gm or 1lb of green asparagus, cut so that the stalks are separate from tips I leave 2 inches at the tip and cut the stalks up (not the woody part)
• 1 litre of chicken stock
• Knob of butter
• Salt and pepper
• Small glass of white wine
• Parmesan, grated


Method

• Melt butter and cook onion on low heat until translucent
• Add rice and stir for 2 minutes
• Add wine and stir until it is almost evaporated
• Add some stock and stir until almost evaporated
• Continue this process until rice is cooked but still al dente. I find this takes around 40 minutes whatever it says on the packet
• 10- 15 minutes before the end place asparagus in boiling salted water and cook until al dente making sure though that the stalks are properly cooked. You may want to put them into the water a little before the tips
• Keep tips warm and liquidise stalks with a little stock
• When rice is ready, mix in asparagus puree and two tablespoons of grated parmesan
• Serve risotto with asparagus tips on top. It looks prettier and prevents them getting damaged by stirring them into the risotto.
• Grated parmesan to taste

April 18, 2010

Recipe for Scallops with balsamic vinegar – for 2

The balsamic vinegar is my idea. It is light and means that you can serve the dish with a nice summer salad as a main or first course.

Ingredients

• 8-10 scallops
• Oil for frying
• 4 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar



Method

• Heat up oil in frying pan till sizzling hot
• Fry scallops 1 minute each side
• Pour in balsamic vinegar taking care to keep fumes away from eyes remove from heat and serve

March 03, 2010

Recipe for Tuscan Ribbolita soup – for 4


Ribbolita used to be eaten by the peasants after a hard day toiling in the fields. When it is cooked, it should have only a little liquid and lots of vegetables. I first had it on a cold spring day at a family run restaurant in a village in Tuscany. The soup was so delicious that I had a second helping. The owner, who was a friend, was disappointed when I told her that I couldn’t eat anything more afterwards and so was I. Nonetheless, every time I go to this restaurant, I can’t resist that second helping.

Ingredients
• ½ cabbage chopped

• Can tomatoes

• 2-3 sticks celery chopped roughly

• 1 onion chopped

• 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped

• 200gm of white cannelini beans

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

• Grated parmesan

• 2 slices of ciabbata or baguette


Method

• Drain beans and wash them under cold water. Divide them into half

• Sauté onions and garlic until soft

• Add celery and cabbage, can of tomatoes and half of the beans

• 1 ½ litres of water

• Bring to boil and simmer for half an hour.

• Puree the other half of the beans with a little of the liquid and add to the soup. This thickens it up

• Put bread into soup bowls and pour soup over

• Serve with grated parmesan

February 04, 2010

Recipe for Lemon roast chicken – serves 4

A good roast chicken needs a really good bird and loving basting. This Simon Hopkinson variation I find excellent, as the lemon juice gives a lovely sauce.

Ingredients

• A roasting chicken
• 1 lemon
• Olive oil
• One clove of garlic cut into slivers
• 2 or 3 sprigs of rosemary
• Salt & pepper


Method

• Cut several slits in chicken and tuck in a sliver of garlic and a leaf of rosemary into each
• Squeeze the juice of half the lemon over the chicken and put the used lemon inside it with a sprig of rosemary
• Pour olive oil over chicken and salt & pepper it
• Place in a pre-heated oven at 200C and cook for one and a half hours basting regularly.
• 15 minutes before the end squeeze the juice of the remaining lemon half over bird and put some rosemary leaves on bird
• When cooked, take bird out to carve
• Boil up juices on stove. Pour a little over each serving and put any remaining in a sauce boat

January 16, 2010

Recipe for Lamb shanks with squash or pumpkin – 2

Ingredients

• Two lamb shanks
• One onion finely chopped
• Two finely chopped cloves of garlic
• 200gm of chopped dried apricots/dates/figs or prunes
• One tablespoon of cumin
• One tablespoon of coriander
• One tablespoon of cinnamon
• 1 butternut squash
• Oil for frying
• 200ml white wine
• 200 ml of lamb or veal stock
• Salt & pepper


Method

• Heat up oil in casserole
• Brown lamb on all sides and take out of pan
• Fry onion till transparent and ten garlic
• Fry spices
• Put back lamb
• Add stock, wine, salt & pepper
• Bring to boil
• Place in oven at 175C for two to two and a half hours
• Half an hour before the end, put in squash cut into bite sized pieces and dried fruit

December 28, 2009

Recipe for Pumpkin or Butternut or other Squash soup-for 4

Squash or pumpkin make a delicious, warming soup which is just right after the excesses of Christmas.

Ingredients

• 1 squash or portion of pumpkin, peeled, seeds scraped out and cut into chunks
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 litre chicken stock
• 25 cl cream
• 1 oz butter


Method

• Melt butter in non stick saucepan over low heat
• Fry onion till transparent
• Add squash/pumpkin pieces and cook for a further 5 minutes
• Pour in hot stock, bring to boil
• Cover saucepan, turn down heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until squash is soft
• Take off heat and blend in a mixer
• Add cream and serve when ready

December 06, 2009

Recipe for Winter salad with chicory - for 2

This is another old favourite which I have added to and modified over the years. It makes a good light lunch or a simple first course for guests.

Ingredients

• I head of chicory, roughly chopped
• I Clementine, segments cut into bite size chunks
• 50gm button mushrooms
• 2 rashers of bacon cut into cubes
• 1 clove garlic finely chopped
• 6 walnuts, broken into pieces
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar to taste
• Salt & pepper


Method

• Fry bacon in non stick pan until crisp
• Add nuts and brown
• Add garlic and fry 1 minute
• Mix all ingredients together and serve

November 29, 2009

Recipe for Pavlova - for 6

Both the Australians and the New Zealanders take credit for the invention of this dish which was made for the dancer Pavlova, who was part of Diagelev’s Ballet Russe. The white of the meringue was to resemble a tutu.  I am not a great lover of classical ballet and have never been a great dessert maker, but this recipe is so easy and the partly gooey meringue base absolutely delicious. I use light crème fraiche and a mixture of red fruit which provides a good contrast to the sweetness of the meringue.

Ingredients

• Four egg whites
• 200 gm caster sugar
• One teaspoon of corn flour or potato flour
• One teaspoon of white wine vinegar
• 450gm of red fruit (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, redcurrants)
• 250 cl of crème fraiche (light if possible)

Method

• Pre-heat oven to 150C
• Whip the egg whites until stiff and form peaks
• Add sugar in 50gm parts, whipping in between
• Add flour and vinegar and whip again
• Take a large flat baking tin or baking sheet and cover with tin foil or parchment
• Spoon or pour egg whites into a circle of about 20 to 24cm in diameter, building it up on the sides slightly
• Place in the middle of the oven and immediately turn heat down to 125C
• Cook for one hour
• Turn off oven but leave meringue in oven to cool for another hour or two
• This can be made in advance
• Just before serving, add cream and berries
• Sprinkle a little sugar on top of berries and voilà

November 27, 2009


Recipe for Balsamic tarragon chicken for two


I am very proud to have invented this dish myself. Balsamic vinegar makes a great alternative to red wine for this pot roast. Just be careful when you pour it into the pan as the fumes can make your eyes very sore.

Ingredients

• Whole chicken (or chicken pieces if you prefer. Breast is less calories but legs i.e. thigh and drumstick are fine, if you prefer them)
• Half onion chopped
• Four carrots sliced
• Four tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• Tarragon, salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• Any green vegetable


Method

• Brown chicken all over in oil
• Add carrots and onions till slightly browned
• Add balsamic vinegar to bubbling
• Put in salt, pepper two sprigs of tarragon & and a little more balsamic vinegar or water if it is too dry
• Cover and cook in oven at 200C for an hour (chicken pieces) or hour and half for whole chicken
• Add more chopped tarragon to sauce and serve