Red Curry Pork with Peppers

Another post that I have had queued up for a couple of months to finish off and publish, is this delicious curry, from the Curry Bible that I got last Christmas… Red Curry Pork with Peppers.

As the author writes, it is a delightful combination of succulent pork, mushrooms and sweet red peppers. The mushrooms act as sponges, soaking up all the coconut sauce beautifully.

Source: Curry Bible – Mridula Baljekar

(Printable Recipe)

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:
2 tbsp Vegetable or Groundnut Oil
1 Onion, roughly chopped
2 Garlic Cloves, chopped
450 g/1 lb Pork Fillet, thickly sliced
1 Red Pepper, deseeded and cut into squares
175 g/6 oz Mushrooms, quartered
2 tbsp Thai Red Curry Paste
115 g/4 oz Creamed Coconut, chopped
300 ml/10 fl oz Pork or Vegetable stock
2 tbsp Thai Soy Sauce
4 Tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and chopped
Handful of Fresh Coriander

1 Heat the oil in a large fry pan and cook the onion and garlic for 1-2 minutes until they are soft but nor brown.

2 Add the pork slices and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, until brown all over. Add the red pepper, mushrooms and curry paste.

3 Dissolve the creamed coconut in the stock and add to the pan with the soy sauce. Bring to the boil and simmer for 4-5 minutes, until the liquid has reduced and thickened.

4 Add the tomatoes and coriander and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Garnish with extra chopped coriander and serve with cooked rice or rice noodles.

Enjoy!

Filed under: Curry, Mains , peppers, pork, red curry

Fantastic Fish Pie

It has been a couple of months since my last post and with a few days off work, it was about time to finish off a post I actually started in July!

Anyone For Seconds? celebrated its first anniversary on the 1st September 2010 and with around 400 visitors a day at the moment, all the posts for foraged related recipes, written this time last year, are suddenly all the rage again and the top viewed posts on the blog. It’s been fun re-reading what I wrote a year ago.

With a promotion at work, only 6 months in after joining the company, life has been hectic to say the least, not giving me as much time to write up recipes I have cooked. I still love cooking, taking photos of dishes I have done and have 3 more posts already queued up to be finished off – it’s just been a case of finding the time to do it.

I thought of using this Jamie Oliver recipe for my return, as it is a massive family favourite and at parties it always get demolished before anything else!

This recipe is a variation of his Fish Pie dish from his book “The Return of the Naked Chef” as we use more seafood and different fish in our version.

As Jamie says and which I totally agree with, “The whole fish pie thing is one of the most homely, comforting and moreish dinners I can think of. This is a cracking recipe which does it for me.”

As my mum told me:

“My grandmother used to make a fish pie that I loved but couldn’t eat it any more as the white sauce was made with wheat flour. When I saw Jamie Oliver make his fish pie without a traditional white sauce, I thought this is for me. I adapt it sometimes by adding Salmon or smoked haddock and always use prawns and use Dijon mustard instead of English.”

(Printable Recipe)

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
5 large Potatoes, peeled and diced into 2.5cm/1 inch squares
Salt and Ground Black Pepper
2 Free-range Eggs
2 large handfuls of Spinach
1 Onion, finely chopped
1 Carrot, halved and finely chopped
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
285ml/½ pint Double Cream
2 good handfuls of grated mature Cheddar or Parmesan cheese
Juice of 1 Lemon
1 heaped teaspoon Dijon Mustard (Dijon is Gluten Free)
1 large handful of Flat-Leaf Parsley, finely chopped
½lb Cod Fillet, skin removed and sliced into strips/chunks
½lb Salmon Fillet, skin removed and sliced into strips/chunks
1 large handful of frozen prawns, defrosted
Nutmeg (optional)

Pre-heat oven 210C, Fan 190C, Gas 7

1 Put the potatoes on to boil.

2 Boil the eggs for 8 minutes. Once cooked, remove the eggs from the heat, cover with cold water and set to one side.

3 In a non-stick saucepan, gently fry the onion and carrot in a little oil until softened.

4 Put the fish, eggs and prawns in a oven-proof dish and press the spinach in between the fish and eggs. If you wish to cook the spinach first, do so for one minute but squeeze out any moisture.

5 In the pan with the onion and carrot, add the double cream and bring just to the boil. Remove from the heat and then add the cheese, lemon juice, mustard and parsley. Pour the mixture evenly over the fish.

6 Drain the potatoes when cooked and mash them with a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper and a touch of nutmeg. Spread it on top of the fish very roughly.

7 Place in oven for about 20-30 mins until the potatoes are golden.

Serve with green vegetables.

Enjoy!

Filed under: Gluten Free, Mains , anniversary, fantastic, first birthday, fish, jamie oliver, pie

Homemade Beef Burgers

I make my own beefburgers as most bought ones contain rusk or breadcrumbs, which is fine if you don’t suffer from coeliac disease. Not only can you get your butcher to mince you some good quality free-range beef but you can get more for your money.

I always make mine the same way but was intrigued to read in the Sunday Times, in a cookery article by someone whose name I forget, that his stepson – William – made his beefburgers with the same ingredients that I use, only he added an egg to his basic mixture. He also gave the recipe for a ‘Ploughman’s burger’ this just had some added extras to the basic mixture. I had to try his recipe and they are very good indeed, and I’m sure he won’t mind if I share his recipe with you.

I also make a spicy burger just by adding sweet chilli sauce to the basic mixture, but if you like them really hot just chop an extra chilli into that mixture.

I imagine that any flavouring could be added to the basic mixture including a curry paste – though that is one flavour I have not tried yet!

I serve the plain beefburger in warm soft rolls with a tomato relish or a garlic mayonnaise. The Ploughman’s burger the same way. But I think would serve the chilli burger with some soy sauce, chopped spring onions and red peppers and the curry burger with mango chutney mixed into some plain yoghurt.

All of them go well with a salad, a glass of wine, a warm summer’s evening and family and friends.

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

Basic recipe:
2lbs/900g Good minced beef
1 Large onion very finely chopped
2 Cloves of garlic finely chopped
A good handful of chopped parsley
Salt and black pepper

Ploughman's version:
To the basic mixture add 3½-4 ozs/100g of grated mature cheddar cheese
3tblsps Dijon mustard
4 heaped tblsps Onion marmalade

1 In a large bowl mix all the ingredients together with your hands until well mixed.

2 Shape the mixture into burgers; they can be whatever size you wish to make them.

3 Place them in the fridge for an hour or two before using, as the chilling helps stop them falling apart when cooking.

4 They can be cooked medium-rare or well-done depending on taste, and a BBQ gives the best flavour.

NB The burgers can be made in advance and frozen, but they are best used within 2 weeks. Important defrost thoroughly before cooking.

Enjoy!

Filed under: Gluten Free, Local Produce, Mains , beef, burgers, cheese, homemade beef burgers, mustard, onion

Cherry Vodka

This one comes from my Mum…

Last year Giles made some blackberry vodka – it is yummy. It set me thinking about what other fruit could be used. I had a lot of cherries given me and although I love them I could only eat so many! I made a cherry pie and then thought about steeping some in vodka. I made it the same way that Giles did his blackberry one, and will let you all know the result in about three to four months time.

I will try it with other summer fruits when they are ripe and report on that too!

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:
1lb/450g of Cherries, chopped
½lb/225g Unrefined Sugar
Vodka

1 Chop the cherries into smallish pieces and place them in a large jar.

2 Add the sugar.

3 Pour over the vodka until just covering the chopped cherries.

4 Seal and then shake the jar every day until the sugar is dissolved.

5 Place in a dark cupboard for three to four months, strain and serve.

6 Serve on its own or topped up with a sparkling wine.

Enjoy!

Filed under: Drink , cherry gin, cherry vodka, fruit, gin, vodka

Coronation Salad of Chicken, Mango and Avocado

Coronation chicken is the sort of British dish that makes the French laugh (it is after all, a mixture of meat and fruit, something they find alien). This recipe takes Coronation Chicken to a new level, making it into a respectable salad. The sauce is stronger than the traditional recipe and it is brought upt to date by a hit of chilli, the sweetness of mangoes and the avocado and lime.

(Printable Recipe)

Serves 6

Ingredients:
1kg/2lb 4oz Chicken breast fillets
2 tbsp Groundnut Oil
2 ripe Mangoes
2 ripe Avocados
1 bunch of Asparagus tips, baked in advance
Juice of 2 Limes
275g/10oz Watercress or Baby Spinach
1 Red Chilli, cut into shreds
2 tbsp Olive Oil
15g/½oz Flaked Almonds, toasted

For the dressing:
350g/12oz Mayonnaise
125ml/4fl oz Plain Greek Yogurt
3 tsp Curry Powder
½ tsp Ground Ginger
7 tbsp Mango Chutney
A little Milk
Leaves from 7 sprigs mint, chopped

1 Season the chicken and heat the oil in a large pan.

2 Saute the breasts until golden all over, then throw in 50ml/2fl oz water, cover and leave the chicken to cook in the steam.

3 Once cooked, leave the chicken to cool completely then use a fine-bladed sharp knife to cut it into neat slices. Season all over.

4 Gently mix together all the ingredients for the dressing except the mint. It should be the thickness of double cream. Taste for seasoning and adjust. Stir in the mint.

5 Peel the mongo and cut the ‘cheeks’ off each side; cut close to the stone so that you remove the plumpest bit of the mango. Cut the cheeks into neat slices.

6 Halve the avocadoes, remove the stones and cut into slices. Carefully peel off the skin. Spoon over some of the lime juice to keep them from discolouring. Season.

7 Gently toss the salad leaves with the mango and avocado, the chilli, the rest of the lime juice, the olive oil and some seasoning.

8 Arrange on a big platter or shallow bowl and add the chicken. Drizzle the dressing over the top and scatter on the almonds.

Serve the rest of the dressing in a jug and serve with a bowl of wild and brown rice, either warm or dressed with vinaigrette and left to cool to room temperature.

Enjoy!

Filed under: Gluten Free, Mains , avocado, chicken, coronation, coronation chicken, curry recipe, mango, salad

Limoncello Syllabub with Crushed Ratafias

I dont know where I found this recipe but it is a very nice light pudding. The alcohol can be left out to no real detriment to the taste, but you will need 2 lemons if you do not use it. It can be made very quickly if guests turn up unexpectedly. Since making it a few times now, it has become a summer family favourite.

Bring a taste of Italy to your table with this delicious gluten free pud!

(Printable Recipe)

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
75ml Limoncello
2 Lemons
500ml Double Cream
100g Unrefined Caster Sugar
12 Ratafia biscuits

1 Mix the the Limoncello, most of the zest from 2 lemons and the juice of one to two lemons (whatever your preference) together.

2 Pour the cream into a large bowl and softly whip with the sugar. It’s important not to over-whip the cream, so whisk it until it just starts to thicken.

3 Then drizzle in the lemon mixture and whisk again.

4 Divide between 4-6 small glasses and refrigerate for at least an hour.

5 Just before serving, put six biscuits in a plastic bag. Crush with a rolling pin and sprinkle them over each dessert with a little lemon zest.

If you like, serve each with a ratafia biscuit.

N.B. Check the biscuits are gluten free.

Enjoy!

Filed under: Cakes & Biscuits, Puddings, Vegetarian , italy, lemons, limoncello, ratafia, sugar

Fruity Flapjacks

I have always made flapjacks – they have always been a family favourite. Also having Coeliac Disease I can tolerate oats as long as I don’t eat them every day. Usually I make them plain, but whilst sitting in the Dentist’s one day I came across this recipe which I copied out. I cannot remember the name of the magazine or the cook so cannot give them the thanks of how these flapjacks are made. All I can say they are delicious and I find it hard to keep to one a day! Do try them at your peril!

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:
1 Orange
1 Lemon
50g Golden syrup
175g Butter
150g Soft brown sugar
200g Oats (not jumbo)
75g Pine nuts or amount to your liking
75g Raisins or amount to your liking

Pre-heat oven 160C, Fan 140C, Gas 3

1 Grease the inside of a 20cm square baking tin, line with parchment and grease again.

2 Grate zest from Orange and lemon (no pith) into a large saucepan.

3 Measure the golden syrup into the pan too.

4 Add the butter and brown sugar, heat gently stirring until butter melted and sugar melted. Take off heat.

5 Add the oats, pine nuts and raisins to the saucepan and mix thoroughly.

6 Pour into the prepared tin spreading it evenly.

7 Place tin in the oven and bake for 25/35 minutes or until golden in colour. Check the oven after 20 minutes or so.

8 When cooked remove from the oven allow to cool for a few minutes, then mark the flapjack into squares with a knife.

Do eat the first few warm, with coffee or tea, – they are irresistible.

NB: The oats I used are Gluten-free and bought from Waitrose.

Enjoy!

Filed under: Cakes & Biscuits, Gluten Free , flapjacks, fruit, golden syrup, oats

Fish Korma

It seems ages since I wrote a blog post, what with the house move to a whole new county, taking over our lives for the last 4 weeks!

Broadband has now finally been installed and there are fewer boxes in each room, allowing us to start cooking again properly and getting back in touch with the foodie community again. There are lots of people I will be catching up with over the next few weeks, plus learning about our new corner of the world and seeing what foodie goodies are available nearby.

One big bonus is that our new home has a big blackberry bush at the bottom of the garden, so thats me sorted for my wines, vinegars, coulis’ and compotes again this year.

This recipe below was one of the last dishes I cooked before we left our old house and was chosen as a blog post, as we needed to use up what we had left in our fridge and freezer. With all the fish we had left, this recipe seemed perfect to go with the Very lazy Ginger we had been sent!

Contrary to general belief, Korma is not a dish but one of techniques used in Indian cooking. This Fish Korma is easy to cook and has an irresistable aroma and taste.

Source: Curry Bible – Mridula Baljekar

(Printable Recipe)

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:
700g/1lb 9oz Fish fillets cut into large pieces (we used Salmon and Monkfish)
1 tbsp Lemon juice
1 tsp Salt
55g/2oz Raw unsalted Cashews
3 tbsp Olive Oil
5cm/2in Cinnamon Stick
4 Green Cardamom Pods, bruised
2 Cloves
1 Large Onion, finely chopped
1-2 Fresh Green Chillies, chopped
2 tsp Ginger Purée
2 tsp Garlic Purée
150ml/5fl oz Single Cream
55g/2oz Whole Milk Natural Yoghurt
¼ tsp Ground Turmeric
½ tsp Sugar

1 Place the fish on a large plate and rub in the lemon juice and ½ tsp of the salt. Set aside for 20 minutes.

2 Soak the cashews in boilng water for 15 minutes.

3 Heat the oil in a large pan over a low heat and add the cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Let it all sizzle for 30-40 seconds.

4 Add the onion, chillies, ginger and garlic purées. Increase the heat slightly and cook, stirring frequently for 9-10 minutes, until the onion is soft.

5 Drain the cashews and purée them with the cream and yoghurt.

6 Stir the turmeric into the onion mixture and add the puréed ingredients, the remaining salt and sugar.

7 Mix thoroughly and arrange the fish in the sauce in a single layer. Bring to a slow simmer, cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and shake the pan gently from side to side.

8 Spoon some of the sauce over the pieces of fish, re-cover and cook for a further 3-4 minutes.

Serve with Indian Bread or Basmati Rice.

Enjoy!

Filed under: Curry, Gluten Free, Mains , curry recipe, fish, fish korma curry, indian, korma, rice, seafood

Spicy Crab Linguini

As our home looks like a warehouse, with all the boxes about the place ready for the big move, I decided I would make something quick for supper so that it didnt create too much more mess and washing up! And as it was my girlfriends birthday over the weekend, I made sure she chose what she wanted me to cook up. By the time I got home from work, she had chosen this recipe from one of James Martin’s books, as she loves seafood dishes.

As James says in his in book, if you want a quick but impressive-looking pasta dish, this is it. Once the ingredients are prepared and the pasta has been cooked, it takes just 5 minutes to make the crab sauce, but looks and tastes as if you spent hours labouring over a hot stove.

Within a couple of minutes I was already being asked if we can have this again as it tasted so good – perhaps once we have moved?

I think this is my first pasta dish that I have done on my blog and hopefully it will be the first of many.

(Printable Recipe)

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:
7oz/200g Linguini
1oz/25g Butter
2 Shallots, peeled and chopped
1 Garlic Glove, peeled and chopped
2 Green Chillies, finely chopped
½ tbsp Thai Green Curry Paste
4fl oz/110ml White Wine
7fl oz/200ml Chicken Stock
Good Pinch of Saffron
7fl oz/200ml Double Cream
14oz/400g Mixed Crab Meat, white and dark
½oz/10g Flat-Leaf Parsley
½oz/10g Coriander Leaves, roughly chopped
Juice of 1 Lime
Salt and Black Pepper

1 Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil, add the linguini and cook for 10-12 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2 Melt the butter in a large saucepan set over a medium heat and add the shallots and garlic. Fry for about 1 minute, without browning, then add the chillies and curry paste and cook for 2-3 minutes.

3 Pour in the wine, bring to the boil and reduce the liquid by half, then add the stock and saffron and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Pour in the cream, bring back up to the boil and remove from the heat.

4 Add the crab meat to the sauce and heat gently for 2-3 minutes, then add the cooked linguini and warm through, stirring the sauce and pasta together. Remove from the heat, then stir in the parsley, coriander and lime juice, and season with salt and pepper.

Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Filed under: Mains , crab, james martin, linguini, pasta, seafood, spicy crab linguini, thai green curry paste

Peshawar-style Lamb Curry

The Lamb Pasanda Curry I blogged about at the start of the year, has become a firm family favourite and we have had it a few times since then, loving it every time.

Having been given another shoulder of lamb, I decided I would try a new lamb curry from my curry bible. I chose the Peshawar-style Lamb Curry as I had all the rest of the ingredients in the cupboard and fridge.

Peshawar in the North West Frontier Province, was created during the British Raj to safeguard India from foreign invaders. The cuisine of this area is famous for its robust flavours and colours. This Lamb Curry is in a class of its own.

The recipe that I have listed below is the recipe and instructions from the book – however I made a small change to the recipe and roasted the lamb in the oven first of all for 3 hours at 160C, so that the meat would be so tender and fall off the bones. This meant that I could reduce the cooking/simmering time from 45-50 minutes to 10-15 minutes. The meat tasted amazing and so succulent. I will give the book version a go on another occasion but have to say this tasted great doing it this way!

Source: Curry Bible – Mridula Baljekar

(Printable Recipe)

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1lb 5oz/600g Boneless Shoulder or Leg of Lamb, cut into 1 inch cubes
4 tbsp Sunflower Oil
1 Cinnamon stick
5 Green Cardamom pods, bruised
5 Cloves
2 Bay Leaves
1 Large Onion, finely chopped
2 tsp Ginger Purée
2 tsp Garlic Purée
1 tbsp Tomato Purée
1 tsp Ground Turmeric
1 tsp Ground Coriander
1 tsp Ground Cumin
125g/4oz Thick Set Natural Yogurt
2 tsp Corn Flour
1 tsp Chilli Powder
150ml/5fl oz Warm Water
1 tbsp Chopped Fresh Mint Leaves
2 tbsp Chopped Fresh Coriander Leaves

1 In a saucepan, heat the oil over a low heat and add the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and bay leaves. Let them sizzle for 25-30 seconds.

2 Add the meat, increase the heat to medium-high and cook until the meat begins to brown.

3 Add the onion, ginger and garlic purées, cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring regularly, then add the tomato purée, turmeric, ground coriander and cumin. Continue to cook for 3-4 minutes.

4 Mix together the yogurt, flour and chilli powder and add to the meat.

5 Reduce to a low heat, add the warm water, cover and simmer, stirring to ensure the sauce does not stick to the base of the pan for 45-50 minutes, or until the meat is tender. Simmer uncovered, if necessary, to thicken the sauce to a desired consistency.

6 Stir in the fresh mint and coriander and remove from the heat.

Serve with Indian bread.

Enjoy!

Filed under: Curry, Gluten Free, Mains , curry recipe, indian, lamb, peshawar, peshawar lamb curry, rice