Lamb Steaks with Port Gravy and Greek Potatoes (adapted from Nigella's Lamb with rosemary and port)

Ok so this recipe is majorly inspired by Nigella's Lamb with rosemary and port and this is where I got the idea from when I was sitting watching Nigella's latest TV show "Kitchen" a couple of months ago.

Here is the only version I can find of this recipe online - but it is also printed in her new book "Kitchen"

So when I first came to cook it, I only had internet on my phone still - as we have just moved house. I tried looking for it online there but it was so slow and maddening and my copy of her book was yet to arrive so I decided to do it from memory. I added some ingredients and equally took some away as a result but my version has quickly become a household favourite served with my Greek potatoes.

I have since got the book and tried the actual recipe and whilst it is very nice indeed I still prefer my version so I decided to post it so you can decide your conclusion too....


Ingredients

 

Two lamb leg steaks

A spoonful of onion chutney

A good splash of port

A small onion

2 cloves of garlic

(NB. for some reason these photos don't want to upload the right way up)

Method

Firstly chop up your onion and garlic together nice and small. I used my lovely new Nigella mezzaluna (photographed above here) which really does make light work of this task as you can see below:

Next just fry off in a flat/ frying pan with a little olive oil. Then add your lamb....

cook on both sides until just coloured and then package up in a tin foil package and leave to sit until needed. (NB. This is an excellent tip straight from Nigella which means that your meat doesn't over cook and remains nice and tender, this method also works very well with beef steak too.)

Make sure your tin foil package is fully sealed though to make sure none of the heat escapes.

Add your port and onion chutney to the pan and stir until thickened.

Unwrap your steak packages, empty any gathered juices into the gravy and mix in. Then serve by placing your lamb steaks on a plate, added some Greek potatoes. and pour over some delicious port gravy. Enjoy! 

(I will add a photo of the final dish next time I cook it)

Amazing Good Food Magazine iPhone / iTouch apps at last!

Good Food Healthy Recipes app

Good Food Quick Recipes app

Good Food Festive Recipes app

Good Food Cake Recipes app

All at the very reasonable price of £1.79 each - always have great recipes at your fingertips! x

Katie's Delicious & Very Versatile Vegetable Tagine

This was cooked for me by my lovely friend Katie a few weeks ago and is so delicious and so healthy and versatile, you can serve it with whatever you like or even serve it on its own and its just like a chunky veg soup! Enjoy!

Chop a red onion, 1 clove of garlic and 2 celery stalks and soften in some olive oil in a large saucepan/tagine for 5 mins.

Add in 1/2 tsp of each of the following - cumin, ground coriander and cinnamon. Stir for a couple of mins.

Add in 1 tin of chopped tomatoes, veg stock dissolved in a little hot water, and then any veggies you want really!

I added an aubergine, a courgette, 1/2 red pepper.

Simmer for about 40 mins (add a little more water if needed).

Then add in a drained can of chickpeas, and cook for a further 10 mins, just before the end add in some chopped coriander (and maybe some basil), serve with bread/rice!

Katie's Amazing Fresh Chicken Pesto Pasta

Another one from my gorgeous friend Katie.

I do love the diversity of jarred green pesto but the real thing is just a different world of freshness and flavour!

Ingredients 

• Chicken breasts or thighs or any left over chicken
• Bag of fresh basil
• Handful of pine nuts
• Parmesan (preferably freshly grated)
• Swig of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 onion
• 500g pasta (of choice)
• Bag of fresh spinach (optional)
• Cup of frozen peas

Method

1. Cook your chicken; if you want extra chickeny flavour use left over roast chicken, or if you have more time roast some chicken thighs with a little honey, salt, pepper and olive oil - this is what I did as the first time I cooked this I did so on a Saturday. If you have less time I have discovered that it is better to cook off your chicken in a separate small frying pan, as below: 

in a little garlic and olive oil before adding it to the rest of the ingredients after stripping it on a chopping board

2. Put your pan of water on to boil ready for the pasta

3. Fry off your diced onion in your biggest frying pan or wok in a little olive oil.

4. Add frozen peas and cook through.

5. In food processor (I have a mini one - these amounts are all guess work, just add more of something if its not quite as you want it!) process one clove of garlic, 1 packet of fresh basil leaves (stalks removed) a small handful of pine nuts, and some Parmesan (shaved or grated) and process, then add extra virgin olive oil to make it a pesto consistency - and that's the pesto done!

(If you can get a small food processor like the one photographed here (from Robert Dyas and was only £16.99) you'll find making the pesto much easier; the first time I made this recipe I used my large food processor and I got in a right mess)

6. Add to the cooked and stripped chicken;

along with the pesto and some fresh spinach, stir it all round until the spinach has wilted.

7. Cook your pasta, 10 mins for dried pasta, whilst the flavours take in the other pan.

8. Once your pasta is cooked, drain and add to your wok and stir round and serve! - one word - YUM!

Nourishing Fish Pie

This is a combination of the fish pie recipe I found on the BBC Good Food Magazine Website and the one which I have in my head that my old friend Cate gave to me yrs ago and is in my handwritten recipe book which I am yet to find since moving house. 

Rule one of doing anything with fish (I tell you as I have learnt the hard way) do not (if at all possible) buy your pre-packed pre-frozen fish from the supermarket which you can't possible know how fresh it is. Buy your fish as fresh as possible. I am lucky as my Mum orders fish deliveries straight from Lincolnshire, caught and chilled that day and so she very kindly added the fish I needed for this recipe to her order. But even if you don't have this facility, where at all possible, buy your fish fresh. 

Ingredients

• 400g skinless white fish fillet
• 400g skinless smoked  fillet
• 600ml full-fat milk (semi works just as well)
• 1 small onion , quartered (or two tiny onions)
• 4 cloves
• 2 bay leaves 
• mixed herbs (fresh or dried)
• 100g butter
• 50g plain flour
• 1kg potato , peeled and cut into even-sized chunks
• handful of cheddar , grated 
• small can of sweetcorn

Peal and chop your potatoes and put on to boil for 10-15 minutes, until they are ready to mash.

When they are ready to mash (you can tell because a knife will slip right through them in the boiling water); drain, place back in the pan, add a little milk and mash. Then leave to stand until you're ready to use.

Pre-heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. 

Poach the fish. Put the fish in the pan and pour over 500ml of the milk. Stud each onion quarter with a clove, then add to the milk, with the bay leaves. Bring the milk just to the boil - you will see a few small bubbles. 

Reduce the heat and simmer for 8 mins. 

Lift the fish into your pie dish and flake with whatever implement you used to get it out of the pan  

Sprinkle sweetcorn over the fish 

Make the sauce add your flour and butter to your poaching milk, the hob onto a medium heat, and here's the very important bit, use a whisk and do not stop stirring as it comes up to the boil and thickens.

As soon as its nice and thick and saucy pour it over your fish and sweetcorn, season with salt, pepper and herbs. 

 Assemble and bake. Dollop on mashed potato in all sections of the dish, smooth out with the back of a large spoon, then lightly score with a normal fork (thanks Mum for this tip :)) before sprinkling with your handful of cheese. 

Bake for 20- 30 minutes till golden on top.

or

Make up to a day ahead, chill, then bake for 40 mins.

Serve and enjoy!

Sizzled sausage pasta (BBC Goodfood) - with a few adaptions

Ingredients

• 400g pasta shapes
• 6 good-quality sausages
• approx 8-10 sun-dried tomatoes
• any chopped fresh herb of choice 
• 1 onion diced 
• 2 tablespoons of grated parmesan

1. Spray a little olive oil into the pan (ideally the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar, decanted into your oil sprayer as it is so yummy!). Chop and fry off onion. Peel the skins off the sausages and chop the sausage meat into small hazelnut-sized pieces. Chop the sun-dried tomatoes into small chunks. and sizzle the sausage pieces for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they're crumbly and golden. Stir in the sun-dried tomato chunks and the remaining oil, and heat everything through. 

   

2. Cook the pasta in boiling water according 10 mins chopped fresh herb of choice, 100g per person.    

 

3. When the pasta is ready, drain it well and toss into the sausage mixture with any chopped fresh herb of choice and a couple of tablespoons of grated parmesan and some freshly ground black pepper. Make sure everything is well mixed and coated with the oil. Serve straight from the pan. 

 

 

Per serving

755 k calories, protein 28g, carbohydrate 86g, fat 38 g, saturated fat 10g, fibre 5g, salt 3.24 g 

(original link)

Gizzi's Chicken, courgette and lemon pasta bake recipe (with a few adaptions)

Serves 4
Preparation time 10 minutes
Cooking time 35 minutes

Nutritional breakdown

Per serving
18.1g of fat
596 calories

Ingredients

• 4 large Portabella mushrooms (or regular mushrooms)
• 350g dried linguine (or spaghetti or any other pasta you fancy)
• 300g courgette, grated
• 300ml low fat crème fraiche
• 200ml low fat Greek yoghurt
• 1 large free-range egg yolk (hen or duck)
• 35g Parmesan cheese
• Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 250g cold roast chicken, shredded (I used left over homemade chicken kiev here and it worked fine - just broke it up into strips with my fingers)
• A small bunch of fresh chives, snipped (or any other appropriate fresh herbs you have to hand) or rocket

Method
 
1. Put a large pan of water on to boil for the pasta
2. Fry off your chicken in a small separate frying pan and cook until golden as below (add a little garlic + salt + pepper for extra flavour too if you like) - obviously this is only if you need to cook the chicken from raw not if you're using left over chicken

2.Heat a pan and spritz in a few spritzes of olive oil. Fry the mushrooms then remove from the pan and set aside. Fry the grated courgette for a couple of minutes.

3. Meanwhile mix together the crème fraiche, yoghurt, egg yolk, Parmesan, lemon zest, salt and pepper.

4. Drain the cooked pasta, leaving a few tablespoons of water in the bottom of the pan. Return the pan to a low heat and pour in the sauce.
5. Toss the pasta in the sauce, then add the roast chicken and chives, giving it all a good mix round until it’s evenly incorporated.

In the pan:

(used rocket instead of chives this time and it worked as a really good alternative)
On the plate:

(original link, including video version of recipe)

Summer soufflé omelette (BBC GOOD FOOD)

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1 tbsp grated Parmesan (or vegetarian alternative)
• small handful basil leaves , finely shredded
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 50g goat's cheese , broken into chunks
• 4 cherry tomatoes , halved

1. Heat grill to high. Crack the eggs, then separate the yolks from the whites into 2 bowls. Tip the Parmesan and most of the basil in with the yolks and season. Whisk the whites vigorously for about a min until light and fluffy, then, using the same whisk, beat the yolks with the Parmesan and basil. Finally, whisk the yolk mix into the whites.
2. Heat the oil in a small frying pan and tip in the egg mix. Leave to cook for a min, then drop over the goat's cheese and tomatoes. Place the pan under the grill for 5 mins until puffed up, golden, and set with only the slightest wobble. Scatter over the remaining basil leaves, then serve the soufflé omelette straight from the pan with salad.

Make it a pudding
Raspberry soufflé omlette Whisk the whites as stated, then whisk the yolks with 3 tbsp golden caster sugar. Beat in the whites, then proceed as above using a knob of butter instead of oil. Scatter a handful raspberries over the omelette before popping the pan under the grill.

Per serving

302 kcalories, protein 20g, carbohydrate 1g, fat 24 g, saturated fat 8g, fibre 0g, sugar 1g, salt 0.81 g

(Original link)

Margaret's Yummy Chocolate Cake!

175g Self raising flour

2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder

1 Tsp Bicarbonate soda

150g Caster sugar

3 Eggs Beaten

150 ml (1/4 pint) Sunflower oil

150 ml (1/4 pint) Semi skimmed milk  

 2 tablespoons of golden syrup

For the Coating and filling

75g Unsalted butter

175g Icing Sugar

6oz cooking chocolate (melted as shown below)

At least 3 mins electric beating 

electric oven 180° for 25 mins

Creamy Ham and Mushroom Pasta

This is one of my favourite pasta dishes from my teenage years, I'm not going to pretend for one minute that it's healthy - as it isn't, but it is definately one of my favourites and a great comfort food dish.

Ingredients are really simple; 

• Pack of good quality ham
• Pot of single cream
• 1-2 onion(s)
• 1-2 garlic clove(s)
• box of chestnut mushrooms
• fresh oregano, basil or some other herb of choice
• 500g of pasta (use whatever your favourite is)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Put pan of water on to boil
2. Dice/ crush your onion and garlic
3. Fry off in a wok or frying pan
4. Add fresh herbs
5. Add mushrooms
6. Cook until they look like this:

7. Add cream
8. Add pulled ham
9. Season to taste
10. Cover and leave on a low heat stiring occasionally
11. Put your pasta into your water, which should have by now come to the boil
12. Cook for 10 minutes for dry and 3-4 minutes for fresh pasta
13. Drain pasta
14. Empty into the sauce and turn over with wooden spoon to get a good coating of the sauce
15. Serve and enjoy!

Bacon, Mushroom and Potato Salad

This is a gorgeous salad which I always used to have when I worked at the Picturedrome in Northampton. Making it is not an exact science, it's more of a bit of this and a bit of that and lots of tasting in-between.

Salad Ingredients:

Potatoes

Mushrooms (preferably chestnut )

Bacon

Salad Leaves 

Vinaigrette Ingredients:

Method:


1. Cut your potatoes to the size you want them in the salad
2. Par-boil them for 10-15 minutes

3. Rinse in cold water

4. Assemble vinaigrette (taste testing till you get your combination right)

5. Fry off your bacon, garlic, mushrooms, and potatoes until they are all nicely golden

6. Assemble salad
7. Pour over vinaigrette 
8. Serve and enjoy