Saturday 31 December 2011

The Breakfast Burrito

This is a simple one and our tasty alternative to the English cooked breakfast

I made it on New Years Eve morning to help us recover from the New Years Eve Eve drinking and to line our stomachs for the drinking ahead. It must have done the trick as we were out partying until 4am, quite impressive from a couple with a usual bed time of 10.15pm... 

The Mrs is half Mexican and although the breakfast burrito probably isn't very authentic, more tex mex, the guacemole is something she has an instinctive ability to be able to do, like birds flying or fish swimming... Therefore the ingredients are quite approximate and more of a guide as she makes it up as she goes along...
 
 
To make 2 burritos -

2 Large Flour Tortillas
215g can of Refried Beans
Mature Cheddar, grated
Handful of sliced Jalapenos

3 Large Eggs
Small Splash of Milk
Dried Chilli Flakes, to taste
Generous amount of Salt and Pepper
Large Nob of Butter 
 

  • Preheat the oven to 200C
  • Spread half of the refried beans across the middle of each tortilla, then split the cheese and sprinkle on top along with the jalapenos
  • Place each tortilla on a large piece of tin foil, gather the foil and fold at the top to seal.
  • Cook in the oven for approx 12 minutes until the cheese has melted and the beans are warmed through, the top edges of the tortilla should be nice and crispy
  • While the tortillas are in the oven prepare your eggs. Add the eggs, milk, chilli flakes, salt and pepper to a mixing jug and use a fork to combine. Add the butter to a pan and heat on high, when the butter is bubbling add your eggs and leave for a few seconds until starting to set then stir. Repeat the process until the eggs have just started to firm up and no liquid consistency is left. Don't overcook!
  • Take the tortillas out of the oven and add the eggs to the top. If you can roll into a burrito shape or serve them as they are, this isn't the prettiest dish but it is one of the tastiest

Serve topped with soured cream, extra chilli sauce if you like it even hotter, and a good amount of authentic guacemole (see below) 

Rachel's Guacamole

Ingredients - 
3 Ripe Avocados, 
1/2 Red Onion or two Spring Onions, finely chopped
8 Cherry Tomatoes, quartered
1/2 Lime, juice only
Tbsp Fresh Coriander, chopped
Approx 1 Red Chilli, finely chopped
Salt and Pepper

  • Cut avocados in half, remove seed and scoop out avocado from the peel into a mixing bowl.
  • Use a fork to mash the avocado, then add the onion, lime, coriander and chilli. Give everything a good mix. Add the tomatoes, mix again and then season to taste with salt and pepper

Friday 30 December 2011

Christmas Beer Can Chicken & Cranberry Apple Chutney


The Mrs and i spent Christmas over in Belfast this year but had our own mini Christmas when we got home.

Having had 2 roast dinners in 3 days the thought of another with all the trimmings wasn't all that appealing but i had been wanting to do another beer can chicken for a while, mainly for the comedy value of seeing a raw chicken sat almost human-like (bar the beer can up it's arse) on my kitchen counter!

I'd seen the original in a Jamie Oliver book and an ex American housemate (ex housemate, he's still American) used to rave about cooking chicken this way on the barbecue.

This time as it was Christmas i decided to change the spices for something a little more festive and accompany the succulent chicken with a cranberry and apple chutney and some cheese, to make some lovely Christmassy sandwiches... and lovely they were! 

Ingredients - 
 
1 Chicken (Approx 1.5kg)
1 Can of Lager (440ml) 
Flat Tbsp freshly ground Black Pepper
2 flat Tbsp Dried Rosemary
Flat Tbsp Dried Thyme
Heaped Tsp Dried Basil
Heaped Tsp Garlic Salt
3 Tbsp of Olive Oil

And for the chutney - 

500g Cooking Apples, peeled and diced
250g Eating Apples, peeled and chopped into larger chunks
250g Onions, chopped
30g Fresh Root Ginger, finely diced
Flat Tsp Peppercorns
250g Granulated Sugar
130ml Cider Vinegar
250g Cranberries


For the Chicken - 
  • Preheat your oven to 200C
  • Put the black pepper, rosemary, thyme, basil and garlic salt into a pestle and mortar and grind until combined, add the olive oil and mix together to form a paste. Rub this over all the chicken both inside and out.
  • Open the beer and drink about half then lower the chicken cavity over the top of the can, the chicken should stand quite freely like this. Place on a baking tray in the oven and cook for approx 75 mins, the juices should run clear, the skin should be golden and crispy and the meat will fall off the bone. If this isn't the case give it another 10-15 mins or until done.
 For the Chutney - 
  • Throw everything apart from the cranberries into a large saucepan and cook on a medium heat, stirring regularly until the sugar is disolved, then simmer uncovered until the fruit is soft and the sauce has thickened, approx 45 mins.
  • Add the cranberries and continue to simmer until they have softened and some have burst to give the chutney a reddish colour, approx 20 mins.
  • Ingredients will make 1 litre of chutney, store in sterilised jars for a few months, or eat straight away!  

I bought some nice crusty bread and made generously filled sandwiches with the chicken, chutney and some cheese (brie would be nice)

Wednesday 21 December 2011

Baked Ginger Cheesecake

Gingers get a hard time in most walks of life, recent survey results show that they are 10% less likely to succeed at a job interview and 6% less likely to win the lottery than their blonde or brunette peers.

In the spice world however things couldn't be more different. The popularity of ginger in Asian cooking is unparallelled and no one can argue that ginger spice had more teenage boys salivating in front of top of the pops than any of the other spices on offer!

So....

Every boy and every girl
Spice up your cheesecake
People of the world
Spice up your cheesecake

Ahhhhhhhhh......


Ingredients - 

15 Ginger Nut Biscuits
40g Melted Butter
600g Light Cream Cheese
Tbsp Plain Flour
2 Eggs
Tsp Vanilla Extract
100g Golden Caster Sugar
300ml Soured Cream
80g Crystallised Ginger, finely chopped
Icing Sugar, for dusting

 
  • Preheat the oven to 180C or 160C for fan ovens
  • Crush the biscuits into crumbs or blitz in the food processor, add the melted butter and stir in
  • Press evenly into the bottom of a lightly buttered 20cm springform tin and bake in the oven for 5mins, remove and cool
  • Beat the flour, cream cheese, eggs, sugar, vanilla extract and half of the soured cream together until smooth. Add the crystallised ginger as evenly around the mix as you can and give it all a quick stir.
  • Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 35 minutes. Check to see if the cheesecake has set but still has a slight wobble in the centre. That's where you need it to be so if it's too soft return to the oven for a few more minutes.
  • Add the rest of the soured cream to the top and spread around evenly before returning to the oven for 5 minutes
  • Cool in the tin and sprinkle with icing sugar to serve (i'd run out...)

Tuesday 20 December 2011

Smoked Sausage Casserole

Having now lived with my girlfriend for over 6 months we have, as i'm sure every couple does, each taken on certain household tasks. Rachel cleans the bathroom and washes the pots, i take the bins out, fix stuff (insert generic man noise) and do the cooking.

So going forward it is likely that the one day of the year that my little princess will cook me dinner will be on my birthday....
...and if they are all as delicious as the one produced for my recent birthday then i'll be a reasonably happy man!

The other half knows the way to my heart and with a savoury dish it's difficult to go far wrong with sausages. So on a cold November evening a smoked sausage, olive, spinach and mushroom casserole with buttery mashed potatoes really hit the bullseye.

If you're trying this the choice of sausage is very important, Rachel used the smoked pork sausages from the meat counter at our local Waitrose and the smokeyness adds a real depth of flavour to the dish that makes it a real winner. Remember for the mash a little butter does not go a long way...


Ingredients -

550g Smoked Pork Sausages
Tsp Sunflower Oil
2 Tsp Dried Oregano
2 Garlic Cloves, sliced
400g Can of Chopped Tomatoes
200ml Beef Stock
100g Pitted Black Olives in Brine
250g Pack of Mushrooms, sliced
Large Handful of Fresh Spinach  

For the Mash -

Floury Potatoes (approx 4 large)
Butter (approx 50g)
Splash of Cream (or Milk)
Generous amount of freshly ground black pepper
 
  • Peel and cube the potatoes and cover in boiling water. Put the lid on the pan and cook for approx 20 mins until they're nice and soft.
  • Cut the sausages into 1 and a half inch pieces and fry in a little oil in a large pan until browned.
  • Add oregano and garlic and continue to fry
  • Pour in the chopped tomatoes, stock, olives and mushrooms then simmer until the sauce is thickened, approx 15 mins.
  • Add the spinach leavesto the pot, allow to wilt and stir through.
  • Go back to the potatoes, drain well, add the butter, cream and a good amount of black pepper then mash until light and fluffy. Put the mashed potatoes back onto the hob on a low heat to warm through again and to dry them out slightly.

Serves 4 - a generous portion of the mashed potato with the casserole over the top.


Happy Birthday Me!

Thursday 15 December 2011

Lamb and Feta Mini Kebabs

Now i may not have always had the most refined palette, for quite some time i was definitely more of a 'bigger the better' kind of eater, a pub bucket deal would have me salivating at the window, but there is no doubting that there is something very satisfying about the basics of what was a major part of my diet - 

The Kebab! 

Well dressed salad and some generously seasoned, spicy meat all served in quality fresh naan/flat bread.

The difference now is that i'd rather rustle up the following recipe than nip out of my student digs half dressed in clothes i've worn to sleep in to my local kebab outlet, 'kebabish and kebobs' to name a couple, and order a large donner and chips...

However much people hate to admit it i'm certainly not alone in my love of the kebab. There are now plenty of respectable London establishments with rotisserie kebab grills installed, just take a look at Comptoir Libanais who proudly serve up shawarmas in their outlets including the recently opened South Kensington branch where Pippa Middleton has recently been spotted stuffing her chops with the staple middle eastern fare (*actual menu choice to be confirmed)

I'm lucky to have a Moroccan food stall close to my work in Kingston which provides me with quality flat breads and harissa which makes this a really quick and easy midweek meal. If you can source the same then go for it, there are some things that you just have to make yourself, these two aren't things that i'd include in that.


Ingredients -

500g minced lamb
100g feta, finely chopped
1 grated red onion
2 tbsp harissa
tbsp chopped parsley


To Serve -

Moroccan flat breads
Tzatziki
Harissa
Rocket and spinach salad
Cucumber
Tomatoes

 

Directions are as easy as finding the house across the street -

  • Grab all the ingredients (not the list of items to serve) and throw them all in a big bowl, stick your hands in and give them a good mix!
  • Next take a good handful and squeeze together before rolling into small kebabs, you should make approximately 8.
  • Grill or griddle on a high heat until cooked through and browned, approx 8 mins.
  • Serve in a warm flatbread on a rocket and spinach salad with cucumber and tomato and drizzled with plenty of tzatziki and a little sprinkle of extra harissa, especially if you like it spicy! 
  • Eat rolled up in a convenient hand sized meal or pick at your plate, important thing is to leave the cutlery in the draw!