Are they under cooked a bit? Cause I would think you'd get mush too.
I've been Christmas shopping all day so I think my brain is in the neutral mode right now.
Chicken curry (You can use any meat)
ingredients
• ½ fresh red chilli, deseeded
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled
• 15g fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• a pinch of paprika
• ½ tablespoon garam masala
• a teaspoon of tomato puree
• 3 sprigs of fresh coriander, leaves picked and chopped, stalks reserved
• 400g chicken breast, diced into 2.5cm pieces
• 1 small onion, peeled and sliced
• ½ red pepper, deseeded and sliced
• ½ green pepper, deseeded and sliced
• a pinch of ground cinnamon
• a pinch of ground coriander
• a pinch of turmeric
• 1 x 400g tin plum tomatoes
• 100ml plain yoghurt
• 100ml double cream
method
For the marinade
Blitz the chilli, garlic, ginger and vegetable oil in the food processor. Add the paprika, garam masala and tomato puree, plus the coriander stalks, and blitz again to form a paste. Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl, coat them with the marinade and leave in the fridge overnight.
The next day…
In a little vegetable oil, on a medium heat, fry the onion, peppers and spices in a large saucepan. Cook gently for 10 minutes then add the tin of tomatoes and the yoghurt. Add the chicken pieces and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes until cooked. Just before serving, stir through the double cream and chopped coriander leaves.
Serve with fluffy boiled rice and a mixed leaf salad.
parsnip and pancetta tagliatelle with parmesan and butter
ingredients
• 12 slices of pancetta or dry-cured smoked streaky bacon, preferably free-range or organic
• 1 handful of fresh rosemary, thyme or summer savory, leaves picked
• 4 good knobs of butter
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
• 2 parsnips, peeled, halved and finely sliced lengthways
• 455g dried tagliatelle
• 3 good handfuls of grated Parmesan cheese
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a large, non-stick frying pan, fry your pancetta and herbs in half the butter for 2 minutes, then add the garlic and parsnips. Cook for a further 3 minutes on a medium heat, until the pancetta is slightly golden and the parsnips have softened nicely. Cook your tagliatelle in salted boiling water according to packet instructions, then drain, reserving a little of the cooking water. Mix the pasta with the parsnips and pancetta and stir in the rest of your butter and the Parmesan, adding a little of the cooking water to loosen the mixture and make it creamy and shiny.
carrot cake with lime mascarpone icing
ingredients
• 250g unsalted butter, softened
• 250g light brown soft sugar
• 5 large eggs, preferably free-range or organic, separated
• zest and juice of 1 orange
• 170g self-raising flour, sifted
• 1 slightly heaped teaspoon baking powder
• 100g ground almonds
• 100g shelled walnuts, chopped, plus a handful for serving
• 1 heaped teaspoon ground cinnamon
• a pinch of ground cloves
• a pinch of ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 250g carrots, peeled and coarsely grated
sea salt
for the lime mascarpone icing:
• 100g mascarpone cheese
• 200g full-fat cream cheese
• 85g icing sugar, sifted
• zest and juice of 2 limes
method
This carrot cake is an exceedingly good cake made all the more pleasing by the twist of lime mascarpone icing. It’s delicious, it works and it’s better than any other carrot cake I’ve tried.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Grease and line a 22cm-square cake tin or a round equivalent with greaseproof paper. Beat the butter and sugar together by hand or in a food processor until pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks one by one, and add the orange zest and juice. Stir in the sifted flour and baking powder, and add the ground almonds, walnuts, spices and grated carrot and mix together well.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff, then gently fold them into the cake mix. Scoop the mixture into the prepared cake tin and cook in the preheated oven for about 50 minutes until golden and risen. You can check to see if the cake is cooked by poking a cocktail stick into it. Remove it after 5 seconds and if it comes out clean the cake is cooked; if slightly sticky, it needs a bit longer, so put it back in the oven. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn it out on to a rack and rest for at least an hour.
Mix all the icing ingredients together and spread generously over the top of the cake. Finish off with a sprinkling of chopped walnuts.
Made up this cake for my birthday a while ago, was very rich
Chocolate Layer Cake
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients
1+½ cup (340 g) butter, softened
1+2/3 cup (365 g) sugar
6 eggs
2+2/3 cup (300 g) all-purpose flour
About 3/4 cup (120 g) finely ground almonds
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup boiling water
Ingredients for frosting
6 tablespoons (80 g) butter
7 oz (200 g) semisweet chocolate (40-60% cocoa)
2 eggs (salmonella-free)
7 oz (200 g) icing sugar (confectioner's sugar)
Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F (Gas mark 4 or 180 deg C).
2. Line two 9 inch (23 cm) cake tins with greaseproof or other non-stick paper and grease the tins.
3. Beat the softened butter with sugar.
4 . Add one egg at a time, mix well between each egg.
5. Mix with flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, vanilla extract, and finely ground almonds.
6. Add ½ cup of boiling water and mix well.
7. Transfer to two separate cake tins and bake at 350 degrees just until set in the middle, approximately 30-45 minutes. A wooden pick inserted in center should come out with just a few moist crumbs on it. Do not over-bake!
8. Cool the cakes and cut each in half, horizontally. They are easier to cut if they are kept in a refrigerator for a few hours before cutting.
Instead of using a frosting (which was nice), I used this instead.
Heavenly Chocolate Mousse
By: Christy Freeman
Prep Time:
30 Min
Ready In:
30 Min
Original Recipe Yield 6 servings
Ingredients
• 224 g semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 120 ml water, divided
• 30 g butter (no substitutes)
• 3 egg yolks
• 25 g sugar
• 295 ml whipping cream, whipped
Directions
1. In a microwave or double boiler, heat chocolate, 1/4 cup water and butter until the chocolate and butter are melted. Cool for 10 minutes.
In a small heavy saucepan, whisk egg yolks, sugar and remaining water. Cook and stir over low heat until mixture reaches 160 degrees F, about 1-2 minutes.
Remove from the heat; whisk in chocolate mixture. Set saucepan in ice and stir until cooled, about 5-10 minutes. Fold in whipped cream.
(Spoon into dessert dishes if just making on own.) Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
Once the cake and Mousse were both cool I cut the two cakes in half and began filling the layers with the mousse and covered the top as well.
I also put a layer of salted caramel inside it as well
Salted caramel layer
• 150g caster sugar
• 30g glucose
• 60g water
• 110g cream
• 2.5g gelatine leaves
• 62g butter unsalted
• 1g sea salt flakes
Directions:
Heat cream
Put sugar, glucose (honey) water, in a saucepan, cook to caramel colour
Deglaze caramel with cream
Add gelatine
Cool to 50C
Add butter and blitz
Put in container and freeze.
This is my decadent choccy birthday cake, and while I didn't get it to look perfect it tasted awesome!!
Blue Cheese Biscuits
makes about 20 round biscuits
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold butter, cut into pieces
1 1/4 cups milk (whole or 2%)
6 ounces gorgonzola cheese (or your favorite blue), crumbled
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and soda, and whisk until combined. Using a fork, pastry blender or your hands, add butter pieces to the flour and mix until coarse little crumbles remain. Add in crumbled gorgonzola. Pour in milk and stir with a spoon until just combined, not overmixing. Use your hands if needed to bring the dough together – I did.
Use a 1/4 cup measure to drop batter onto a nonstick baking sheet, or press dough on a sheet of parchment paper or cutting board, then using a biscuit cutter to shape the dough into rounds. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until biscuits are golden brown.
Pinot Noir Butter
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 1/2 cups pinot noir
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
pinch of black pepper
Bring the wine to a boil in a saucepan (be careful so it does not boil over!) and cook until reduced to just under 1/4 cup – this took me about 15 minutes. Let cool completely.
Once wine is cool, combine with softened butter, salt and pepper, and mix thoroughly to combine. I had some issues with the butter absorbing all of the wine, so what I did was place the entire bowl in the fridge, and pop it out every 15 minutes or so, mixing really well with a spoon until all of the wine mixed in. Once mixed completely, chill in the fridge for about 5 minutes, then form into a square or log with your hands and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to use – best if used after 2-3 days so the flavors can mesh! HAD AN EPIPHANY.... put the butter mix and the wine syrup in a ziptop bag. mash with your hands a little.. still refrigerate now and again to keep from liquifying the butter.... then you can press the mix to the bottom of the bag to form the log. when you are ready to use cut open the bag. voila!
Sarcastic Coffee Aficionado
THAI CHICKEN WRAPS WITH SPICY PEANUT SAUCE
Ingredients
3 chicken breasts (6 ounces each)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon grill seasoning
4 flour tortilla wraps (12 inches)
For the salad:
1/2 English (seedless) cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced on an angle
2 cups fresh bean sprouts
1 cup shredded carrots, available packaged in the produce department at the grocery store
3 scallions, sliced on an angle
12 leaves basil, chopped or torn
3 tablespoons chopped mint leaves
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar or white vinegar
Salt
For the spicy peanut sauce:
1/4 cup room temperature chunky peanut butter, softened in the microwave if it has been refrigerated
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Preparation
Heat a grill pan over high heat. Toss the chicken with soy sauce and oil and grill for 6 minutes on each side.
Combine the cucumber, sprouts, carrots, scallions, basil, mint and sesame with a generous sprinkle of sugar and vinegar. Season the salad with salt, to taste.
Whisk the peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar and cayenne together. Stream in the vegetable oil.
Slice the cooked chicken on an angle. Toss with the veggies and herbs.
In a very hot nonstick skillet, or over a gas burner, heat the tortillas for 15 seconds on each side.
Pile the chicken and veggies in the wraps and drizzle liberally with spicy peanut sauce before wrapping and rolling.
SERVES 4
For those of you who like something different...MORROCAN STYLE LAMB (Serves 4)
1/2 a Shoulder of Lamb in a large dice (Works well with Chicken or Turkey too)
2 Large potatoes diced
100g of dried apricots (halved)
A large handful of raisins or currants
A small glass of Red Wine
250ml of Water
4 cloves of Garlic
1 tablespoon of Cumin
1 tablespoon of Turmeric
1 tablespoon of Rosemary
1 tablespoon of Corriander(Cilantro) seeds
1 teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon
Salt/Pepper
The method is absolutely simple...chuck it all in a pot (Ideally a Tagine if you have one but any slow cooking pot will do)
Put it in a preheated oven at 150 degrees celcius for a few hours 4 hours tops
Turn the heat up to 180 for the last 45 minutes and you're done
Serves well with a green salad or cous cous
This post comes to you from the original and highly disorganised mind of mine...be scared, I certainly am, lol
Sarcastic Coffee Aficionado
NEW ENGLAND CRABBY MELTS
Ingredients
3 jarred roasted red peppers, drained
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon hot sauce
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
12 ounces fresh lump crabmeat (from the seafood counter)
2 teaspoons seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay seasoning
2 celery ribs from the heart, finely chopped
2 sprigs tarragon, leaves stripped from stems and chopped
3 scallions, finely chopped
4 sandwich-size English muffins, split
Unsalted butter, softened, for buttering
2 cups watercress, chopped
2 cups Gruyère cheese (about 8 ounces), shredded
Preparation
Place the peppers in the bowl of a food processor and season with salt and pepper. Add the lemon juice and hot sauce (eyeball it), then put the lid in place and turn on the processor. Add the EVOO in a thin stream (eyeball it as well) and process until smooth.
Pre-heat the broiler. Using your fingers, check the crabmeat for pieces of shell. In a medium size bowl, combine the crab and seafood seasoning. Add the celery, tarragon and scallions to the crab and toss with the red pepper dressing; adjust the seasoning, to taste.
Toast the English muffins under the hot broiler, then lightly butter them. Top each with a small handful of watercress, then with a scoop of the crab salad. Pat down the salad a bit, then top with a handful of cheese and return to the broiler to melt the cheese, about 1-2 minutes. Remove and serve immediately.
SERVES 4
Sarcastic Coffee Aficionado
In honour of Pancake Day
Homestyle Pancakes with Fresh Berries
Ingredients
* 1 cup sifted flour
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 eggs
* 1 cup Plain or Vanilla yogurt.
* 1/2 cup water
* 1 tablespoon melted butter, plus additional for brushing griddle
Directions
1. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
2. In another bowl, beat eggs. Blend in yogurt, water and melted butter. Add dry ingredients and beat until combined.
3. Brush a griddle or a large skillet with butter, on medium heat. Spoon 1/4 cup of batter onto griddle.
4. Cook until bubbles appear on surface and pop, edges are set, and undersides are golden, 1-2 minutes.
5. Flip pancakes with a spatula and cook until undersides are golden and pancakes are cooked through, 1-2 minutes more.
Serve immediately, or keep warm in 200F oven. Serve with fresh fruit, maple syrup or whip cream.
Sarcastic Coffee Aficionado
seems like a few recipes were deleted ....
Sarcastic Coffee Aficionado
Archie's BBQ Sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup of worchestershire sauce
1/4 cup of brown sugar (or 1/2 cup if you like a sweeter sauce)
1 1/2 cup of ketchup
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 teaspoon of dried mustard
1 teaspoon of chili pepper powder
pepper
*Combine in sauce pan, stirring until blended over medium heat. Turn to low, allowing the garlic to heat and release its flavour. If you have left overs, cool before putting in the fridge. Use up in a week.
* if you want it more chunky - chop up some fresh ripe tomatoes ... and go wild!
fabulous on RIBS!!
Sarcastic Coffee Aficionado
SPINACH-ARTICHOKE STROMBOLI
Ingredients:
2 eggs, divided
1/2 cup fresh ricotta
About 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
Zest of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 box frozen spinach, defrosted (10 ounces)
1 jar artichoke hearts (14 ounces), chopped
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 pizza dough
1 package, about 2 cups, shredded provolone
Sesame seeds, for sprinkling
Garlic flakes, for sprinkling
Onion flakes, for sprinkling
Preparation
Pre-heat oven to 400ºF
Beat 1 egg in a large bowl with the ricotta, nutmeg, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Mix in garlic, spinach, artichoke hearts and Parmigiano-Reggiano.
In a small bowl, whisk remaining egg with a splash of water to make an egg wash; set aside.
On a floured surface, roll out pizza dough into a rectangle about 9 ½”X 13”. Spread filling evenly out onto the entire dough, making sure not to get too close the any of the edges. Top with provolone.
Roll the stromboli, starting at one of the long sides, tucking in both ends firmly, and turn over about 4 times until you are left with just the one edge. Brush the edge with egg and gently press to seal. Turn the stromboli over so the seam is facing down on the sheet tray and lightly brush egg wash over the top of the stromboli, covering the entire surface. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, garlic flakes and onion flakes. Cut slits about 1 1/2 inches apart down the top of the stromboli, so the steam can escape while baking. Bake until golden brown, about 35- 40 minutes.
SERVES 4
KATE’S SUPER FUDGE BROWNIES
(copied from Ladies Home Journal interview with Kate Hepburn)
First, melt two squares of unsweetened chocolate and ¼ pound sweet butter (1 stick) in a heavy saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup sugar. Add two eggs along with ½ teaspoon vanilla and beat like mad. Stir in ¼ cup flour, ¼ teaspoon salt and a cup of chopped walnuts –not smashed up, you know, just chopped into fairly good-size pieces.
Now mix all that up. Then you butter a square pan (8X8 inches) and dump the whole thing quickly into the pan. Stuf this pan into a preheated 325 degree F. oven for 40 minutes. After that, take out the pan and let it cool for a while. Then cut into 1 ½ inch squares and dive right in.
"There's only three tempos: slow, medium and fast. When you get between in the cracks, ain't nuthin' happenin'." Ben Webster
Spinach Pie:
3 boxes of Philo dough (usually found in supermarket next to frozen baking items).
6 containers of Feta Cheese (preferably the one in a cylindrical plastic container rather than the one in the plastic see through container)
6 eggs
8 packs of frozen chopped spinach
10 – 12 green onions (a.k.a. scallions)
Small container of powered oregano (the chopped oregano does not have the kick the powered does)
One small container of dill weed.
Mint is optional, and is the most traditional way but takes a long time if you are not adept at cutting herbs.
Small container of pepper
Small bottle of virgin olive oil
One stick of butter (doesn’t matter what type)
Small bbq brush
1. Defrost spinach and separate in a bowl. Strain all excess water till you can make little spinach balls, put in feta cheese blocks, and put all the eggs in. Place your mixture in bowl and leave in fridge while doing the next part. Also, leave the philo dough out of the fridge so it may thaw and makes it easy to work with.
2. Chop scallions/green onions. Not too much so you don’t bleed out all the juice and drop the scallions into the mix in #1. As you clean the green onions, make sure to do so under water, lots of small dirt particles.
3. Powder the top of the mix with almost all of the oregano and pepper. With the spinach you will get a nice dark green hue. Half portion of dill weed compared to pepper and oregano.
4. Once everything is in one bowl, mix it in with hands. This will help in thoroughly breaking down the feta and mixing all ingredients.
5. Taste the mixture to see if you need more of anything. If too much of any ingredient is overpowering you can either put in a little olive oil or more spinach.
6. Put the mixture in the fridge and cover while working on the pan and philo.
7. Butter your pan on all sides and bottom, be generous.
8. Use about one and half boxes of the dough for the bottom and the other box and half for the top of the pie. As you layer your pan use the brush, dip into oil and brush the philo after every 4th or 5th sheet. Be generous to the corners since those usually come out dry if not enough oil is used. Once the bottom of the pan is covered, grab your mix and put it into the philo.
9. Press down on the mixture to distribute evenly, and then fold the philo on top of the mixture.
10. With the other box and a half, layer the top, repeat with oiling every 4th or 5th sheet. Also tuck the edges as you go. The oil will help that as well. Oil the last top sheet and voila!
11. Once you’re done, stick it in the oven at 375 for two to two and a half hours. Easiest way to know you’re done is the top of the pie will be a golden brown, and your house will smell like pie.
Bon Appetit!
Sarcastic Coffee Aficionado
Mexican Pulled Pork (from Rachel Ray's webpage)
Ingredients
1 boneless pork shoulder (3-4 pounds)
Salt and black pepper
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 large onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, rough chopped
2 tablespoons ground cumin (2 palmfuls)
1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano (a palmful)
1 bottle Mexican beer, such as Dos Equis (12 ounces)
2 cups chicken stock
Juice of 4 oranges (about 2 cups)
Juice of 2 limes
Preparation
Pre-heat the oven to 325°F.
Season the pork generously with salt and pepper and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Pat the pork dry with a paper towel. Place a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat; add EVOO, three turns of the pan. Place the pork in the pot and sear on each side, about 4-5 minutes per side, until golden brown. Remove the pork from the pot, set on a plate and reserve.
Turn the heat down to medium and add the onion and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, then season with cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Deglaze the pot with the beer, scraping up the bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add the chicken stock and orange juice and stir. Add the pork back to the pot – the liquid should come two-thirds the way up the meat. Bring to a simmer, then cover and place in the oven for 2 1/2-3 hours, until the meat is tender and falls apart when you touch it, turning the meat halfway through the cooking time.
Remove the pork from the pot, place on a plate and tent with foil to keep warm. When it is cool enough to handle, pull the meat apart with two forks.
Simmer the braising liquid over medium heat until reduced by half. Add the lime juice. Set the shredded pork into the liquid.
If you want to make the pull pork into some yummy sammiches ..... RR's recipe continues with this:
Ingredients:
1 cup white wine or white balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 red hot chili pepper or jalapeño, thinly sliced
2 bay leaves, fresh or dried
2 small red onions, thinly sliced
1 cup store-bought pickled jalapeños or banana pepper rings, drained
1 cup queso fresco or 2 cups of shredded Monterey Jack cheese, crumbled
About 24 small rolls, such as dinner-size brioche or slider rolls, split
Preparation
While the pork is cooking, prepare the pickled red onions: In a small saucepot, bring the vinegar, sugar, a teaspoon of salt, chili or jalapeño pepper and bay leaves to a simmer. Place the sliced red onions in a small sealable container. Carefully pour the hot liquid over the onions, cover and give it a shake. You may need to lift the lid to release some of the pressure. Every now and then, give it a good shake. Place in fridge to cool.
To assemble the sammies, remove the pork with tongs from the liquid and place on the bun bottoms. Top with a few pickled jalapeños, some pickled red onions, some crumbles of queso fresco and the bun tops.
Serves 6 - 8 .... depending if you are feeding big men and/or hungry teenagers! Honestly, this is delicious! Perfect for pork wraps the next day too!!
Tarpon Springs, Chef? I have a couple of friends there. Yes, it's Spanakopita. There is a more traditional version, this one is the one most found during those feasts.
Spasta, kale.
(Break everything, dear.)
yummmmm!
