Recipes

Hi

Sorry this page has been a little bit neglected and I felt it was the right time to update it.  Well it has been live for a year now!  The following are favourite recipes.  It doesn't matter if they are from a book or one you have made up yourself, please feel free to share.

**please note the following recipes are my husbands (he is a chef) - Stuffed Peppers, Bacon and Mushroom pasta with creamy sauce, Double Chocolate Mint Sponge and Homemade bread.**

Thank you to my readers for sending in their favourite recipes.

STARTERS

 
Smoky Bacon, Sweetcorn and Potato Soup Recipe (Taken from Gordon Ramsay book)

• olive oil, for frying 
• 1 onion, peeled and diced 
• 4 rashers of smoked streaky bacon, chopped into small pieces 
• 2 bay leaves 
• 2 potatoes, peeled and diced into 1cm cubes 
• 1 leek, trimmed and finely chopped 
• 1 x 375g tin creamed corn 
• 1 x 200g tin sweetcorn, drained 
• 750ml chicken or vegetable stock 
• 500ml whole milk 
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 

Method

1. Place a large saucepan or hob-proof casserole dish over a medium heat. Add a dash of oil and fry the onion until softened. Add the bacon and continue to cook until lightly coloured. Stir in the bay leaves.
2. Add the potatoes and leek and cook for 5–7 minutes, until the leek is soft.
3. Stir in the creamed corn and sweetcorn, then pour in the stock and milk. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are completely soft and the flavour well developed.
4. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Serve in warm bowls.


Tomato Soup (Healthy option)

• 2 tins tomatoes
• 1 tin baked beans
• 1 tin carrots
• 3 pickled onions
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 1/2 pint water

Simmer for 15 minutes

Blend

Serve

MAIN COURSE

Doner Kebab (healthy option)

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 500g extra lean lamb/beef mince

1. Combine all the ingredients.  Work the mixture well with your hands. Pound and kneading until there are no air pockets.  The mixture should be smooth.

2.  Shape into a loaf shape.  Place on baking tray. Put in oven for an hour at 180.  Turn over 30 minutes in.

3.  Remove from oven, wrap in foil.  Let rest for 10 minutes whilst you prepare your salad.  Unwrap meat and cut as thinly as possible.  Add any sauce you wish.

Fanta Lemon Chicken - Slow cooker recipe (healthy option)

• 4 chicken breasts (strips)
• 1 onion (finely chopped)
• 1 Garlic clove (minced)
• 2 piece ginger (minced)
• Zest and juice a lemon
• 2 tablespoon Soy Sauce
• 1 330ml can of Fanta zero icy lemon

Place all the ingredients into the slow cooker for 6-8 hours

Leave the lid off for the last hour to allow sauce to thicken

Pop into a saucepan and allow to simmer for a few minutes

Serve with Rice

STUFFED PEPPERS

• pepper
• tomato
• onion
• mushroom
• garlic Philadelphia
• salt n pepper
• soft goats cheese
• cream balsamic vinegar

prep peppers cut tops off, scoop out inside
Blanche tomatoes (1min), peel and deseed, dice.
slice mushrooms, pick and chop parsley, dice half an onion
fry off onions and mushrooms
until soft
add parsley
then add tomatoes
fry for 2-3 mins
leave to one side
separate bowl. beat goats cheese, Philly, wee bit double cream until creamy
add balsamic vinegar to mushroom mix
season
allow to cool
once cool add mix to goats cheese cream
taste
season to taste
rub olive oil on peppers
fill
place in oven for 20 mins or until peppers are soft


BACON AND MUSHROOM PASTA WITH CREAMY SAUCE

FOR THE SAUCE:

• Garlic
• basil
• cream
• Philadelphia
• onion

TO MAKE SAUCE

dice onion
peel and crush garlic (one clove)
fry off onions and garlic together until soft DO NOT BROWN

add chopped basil
add half tub Philadelphia
soften in the pan
stir continuously add cream
season
bring to the boil
simmer for 5 minutes
KEEP STIRRING

FOR THE PASTA

• Pasta of your choice
• bacon
• Mushroom

water in pot for pasta
add pasta to boiling water
chop bacon
chop mushrooms
put bacon into frying pan and cook until ready
add mushrooms and cook until ready
drain pasta when when ready
add pasta to frying pan then add as much sauce as required
serve


DESSERTS

Ferrero Rocher

• 4 Weetabix
• 2 Tablespoon Golden Syrup
• 6 Tablespoon Nutella

Crumble the weetabix and add syrup and nutella.

Mix well

When mixed, roll into teaspoon sized balls (keep your hands wet to stop them sticking)

Pop them into the freezer.

Once frozen transfer to the fridge.

Chilli Chocolate Brownies

• 275g plain choc
• 275g unsalted butter
• 75g milk or dark choc broke into bits
• 175g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 4 lrg eggs lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• 355g caster sugar 
• 1 tsp of chilli flakes

1 preheat oven to 170c 325f gas mark3. line a large baking tin with grease proof paper lightly buttered. place plain choc into a bowl along with the butter over a saucepan of simmering water allow to melt

2 sieve together flour and baking powder into a bowl and set aside. remove melted choc from heat allow to cool slightly then stir in the caster sugar.add beat in the vanilla then fold in flour and choc chunks

3 pour mixture into the tin and put in oven for 20-25 mins or till tops firm and inside moist

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE MINT SPONGE

• oil or melted butter for greasing
• 150g/51/2oz plain flour
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 175g/6oz unsalted butter softened
• 3 eggs beaten
• 1 tbsp milk
• 40g/11/2oz chocolate mint sticks chopped
• 140g/5oz choc spread plus extra to drizzle
• choc mint sticks to decorate

oven - 180 or gas mark 4
grease 2 sandwich tins and line with baking paper
sift flour, cocoa and baking powder into bowl. beat in butter eggs mix until smooth. mix in milk and choc pieces
spread mix into tins and bake for 25/30 mins until firm
cooling tin for 2 mins and turn out on to wire rack to let cool
sandwich cakes together with choc spread, decorate with mint sticks and drizzle extra choc spread
enjoy xx

HOMEMADE BREAD

• 4lb of strong flour
• pinch salt
• 3.5oz yeast
• 3.5oz sugar
• warm water to activate yeast
• pint and a half warm water

add yeast and sugar to warm water and to leave to activate (until rises)
flour and pinch of salt in food mixer
once yeast is activated add to flour and gradually add the water.
knead in food mixer for 10/20 mins until pulls into ball
once ready leave to prove for 1hr-1.5hr (or to doubled its size)
once proved knock back
shape into rolls or loaves
flour loaf tins and baking trays
bake for 15-20 minutes 180 degrees
once baked remove promptly from oven and turn over
leave to cool.