Serves two
2 fillets of local beef
2 handfuls of gnocchi
2 handfuls of rocket
60g chestnut or button mushrooms - sliced
1 onion - peeled and sliced
2 tablespoonfuls of peppercorns - lightly crushed
1 glass of white wine
One tablespoon of pesto - let down with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil Seasoning Cooking oil and butter for frying
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C (gas mark 6).
Place the crushed peppercorns on a plate and press the fillets into them to produce a layer of peppercorns on both sides of the meat.
Add a little cooking oil to a hot frying pan, seal the meat on all sides and place in the oven for about 20 minutes for a medium steak.
Remove and allow to rest for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan, saute the onion and mushrooms in a little oil and butter until soft.
Add the gnocchi and the white wine, cover with a lid and cook for a few minutes until the gnocchi is cooked.
Remove the lid, add the rocket and one tablespoon of the pesto mix, stirring gently.
Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Spoon this gnocchi salad on to two warmed plates, place the meat on top and drizzle a little more of the pesto around.
Thursday, 6 November 2014
Recipe: Baked Asparagus with goats cheese
Serves two
10 asparagus spears
4 slices of Parma ham
200gm of goat's cheese ( sliced
150gm of black pudding ( sliced
8 baby tomatoes on the vine
Sunflower oil
A couple of handfuls of salad leaves
Pesto thinned with a little olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat oven to 230AC (gas mark 8).
With a sharp knife, cut the woody tough end off the asparagus. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and blanch the asparagus until just cooked but don't over-cook. Remove and refresh in cold water.
Roll five spears of asparagus, half the goat's cheese and half the black pudding in two of the slices of Parma ham to make open-ended parcels. Repeat with the rest. Heat a frying pan, add a little sunflower oil and seal the parcels on all sides, placing half the tomatoes on the vine in with them.
10 asparagus spears
4 slices of Parma ham
200gm of goat's cheese ( sliced
150gm of black pudding ( sliced
8 baby tomatoes on the vine
Sunflower oil
A couple of handfuls of salad leaves
Pesto thinned with a little olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat oven to 230AC (gas mark 8).
With a sharp knife, cut the woody tough end off the asparagus. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and blanch the asparagus until just cooked but don't over-cook. Remove and refresh in cold water.
Roll five spears of asparagus, half the goat's cheese and half the black pudding in two of the slices of Parma ham to make open-ended parcels. Repeat with the rest. Heat a frying pan, add a little sunflower oil and seal the parcels on all sides, placing half the tomatoes on the vine in with them.
Recipe: Chocolate pot, Berry compote
Serves six
For the chocolate pot:
400ml milk
250ml double cream
200gm chocolate
Four egg yokes
45gm caster sugar
A few drops (half a teaspoon) of vanilla essence – not vanilla flavouring
Method
For the blueberry compote:
200gm blueberries
Juice of one lemon
20gm caster sugar
One whole vanilla pod
Pre-heat the oven to 140°C (gas mark 1).
To cook and serve the chocolate pot you will need six ramekins. First, in a bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla essence until creamy. Gently heat the milk and cream together in a pan until boiling. Reduce the heat and add the chocolate until it melts. Immediately, pour the milk and cream onto the eggs and sugar, whisking as you do so.
Divide the mixture equally into the ramekins and place them in a roasting dish into which you then pour hot water, half way up the ramekins. Place the roasting tin in the oven and bake until set. How long? It depends on a number of factors but probably around 20 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool.
To make the blueberry compote, place all the ingredients into a pan and, stirring, bring to the boil. Remove the vanilla pod and allow to cool.
To serve, place the chocolate pot onto a plate with, perhaps, some fresh fruit (strawberries are sublime with chocolate) and serve the blueberry compote alongside.
For the chocolate pot:
400ml milk
250ml double cream
200gm chocolate
Four egg yokes
45gm caster sugar
A few drops (half a teaspoon) of vanilla essence – not vanilla flavouring
Method
For the blueberry compote:
200gm blueberries
Juice of one lemon
20gm caster sugar
One whole vanilla pod
Pre-heat the oven to 140°C (gas mark 1).
To cook and serve the chocolate pot you will need six ramekins. First, in a bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla essence until creamy. Gently heat the milk and cream together in a pan until boiling. Reduce the heat and add the chocolate until it melts. Immediately, pour the milk and cream onto the eggs and sugar, whisking as you do so.
Divide the mixture equally into the ramekins and place them in a roasting dish into which you then pour hot water, half way up the ramekins. Place the roasting tin in the oven and bake until set. How long? It depends on a number of factors but probably around 20 to 30 minutes. Allow to cool.
To make the blueberry compote, place all the ingredients into a pan and, stirring, bring to the boil. Remove the vanilla pod and allow to cool.
To serve, place the chocolate pot onto a plate with, perhaps, some fresh fruit (strawberries are sublime with chocolate) and serve the blueberry compote alongside.
Friday, 31 October 2014
Recipe: Lillies Pumpkin soup
On the last night of my holiday myself and my daughter Lillie decided we had to have a night in the garden.
By 4pm the log burner was up to temperature and we were ready to go.
Lillie and i spent the evening carving Pumpkins and catching up about what she had been upto over the week she has been off school, She does make me Smile as her stories and opinions are great.
Once Lillie had finished she decided that Pumpkin soup was going to be made from the trimmings for her Mam, this recipe was what she came up with and the results turned out well.
Ingredients
1 small pumpkin
550ml Chicken or vegetable stock
1 large onion
4 cloves garlic
Sea Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C.
Peel the pumpkin and dice
Peal the onions and roughly chop
Peal the garlic and leave whole
In a bowl coat the pumpkin, onion and garlic in enough olive oil to glaze and season
Place the mix onto a baking tray and put it in the oven, bake it until the pumpkin becomes soft
Once soft add the mix to the stock and boil for 5 minutes
Blend the mix, if it’s too thick add more stock until you achieve the consistency you require
Check for seasoning and serve
Recipe: Duck liver salad
Ingredients
500g Duck livers
500ml Whole milk
200g Belly bacon, diced
20g Butter
20g Lard
125ml Sherry
60ml Olive oil
1 Frisee lettuce picked
2 tbsp chopped chives
1/2 Loaf sourdough croutons
Method
Soak the livers for 30 minutes in the milk, drain and dry
Heat a non-stick frying pan and fry the bacon, once cooked remove from pan and set to one side
Add the lard and butter to the pan and fry the livers, ensure these are cooked medium rare,
remove from pan and rest
Deglaze the pan with the sherry and 2 tbsp of sherry vinegar, reduce by half
Pour the reduction into a bowl and add the olive oil to make the dressing
Build the salad with the lettuce, bacon and chives
Slice the liver on top and finish with the croutons and dressing
500g Duck livers
500ml Whole milk
200g Belly bacon, diced
20g Butter
20g Lard
125ml Sherry
60ml Olive oil
1 Frisee lettuce picked
2 tbsp chopped chives
1/2 Loaf sourdough croutons
Method
Soak the livers for 30 minutes in the milk, drain and dry
Heat a non-stick frying pan and fry the bacon, once cooked remove from pan and set to one side
Add the lard and butter to the pan and fry the livers, ensure these are cooked medium rare,
remove from pan and rest
Deglaze the pan with the sherry and 2 tbsp of sherry vinegar, reduce by half
Pour the reduction into a bowl and add the olive oil to make the dressing
Build the salad with the lettuce, bacon and chives
Slice the liver on top and finish with the croutons and dressing
Saturday, 27 September 2014
Pigeon shooting
Last month i went to Northern Ireland with my wife, kids and my crazy 10 month old black Labrador.
After a long day at work Zoe and i packed the car and set off to catch the ferry from Scotland, this ended up being an eight hour trip, it was good crack, the kids loved the adventure.
On arriving in N Ireland we visited Auntie Vi, East Belfast has never changed and Aunti Vi's baking gets better every time we see her, a traditional cook with a recipe collection i would love to own.
After a long day we finally arrived at My father in laws house, it was great to be home, as always Sepp's allotment was full of produce and the dinner that evening was perfect.
As we all do when we are away on holiday i started to plan what we wanted to do, then a phone call from Barclay my brother inlaw changed things, in a good way!
" I will pick you up at 6am in the morning, we are going shooting"
Even though i had drove through the night and not had much sleep You wouldnt believe how excited i got, Fantastic a day sitting in a field with no one to talk to is just what i needed, the shooting was a bonus.
As arranged Barclay arrived at 6am with a cup of coffee and a roll up in his hand , dressed like a tree, this lad takes things very seriously and always has all the gear. "All right love, what about ya", he never fails to make me smile, hes a great lad to be around.
After a short drive along the country roads and a quick catchup we arrived at the freshly cut cornfield, the decoys were put out, the hide was set and the day began.
The view from the hide was good, the pigeons were perfect and the mornings shooting was amazing, although i was slightly out of practice. After not shooting for a while i was pleased with my efforts and 15 birds came home with us. As usual when we arrived back at Sepps the preperation and cooking bebate began, whole bird or just the breasts? "Just the breasts, what a waste".
After a period of time the whole bird won the day, the plucking began, the prep was messy but the end product was fantastic.
Five hours after shooting the birds the cooking began, i roasted the bird with a little olive oil, salt and cracked black pepper, when produce is five hours old i dont see why you need to over do the method of cooking, simply let the produce speak for its self. The birds were cooked medium rare, i served them with fresh boiled potatoes, a large mixed salad, toasted pitta bread and a blackberry dressing finished with crushed nuts and thyme.
Please see my recipe bank for the recipe.
After a long day at work Zoe and i packed the car and set off to catch the ferry from Scotland, this ended up being an eight hour trip, it was good crack, the kids loved the adventure.
On arriving in N Ireland we visited Auntie Vi, East Belfast has never changed and Aunti Vi's baking gets better every time we see her, a traditional cook with a recipe collection i would love to own.
After a long day we finally arrived at My father in laws house, it was great to be home, as always Sepp's allotment was full of produce and the dinner that evening was perfect.
As we all do when we are away on holiday i started to plan what we wanted to do, then a phone call from Barclay my brother inlaw changed things, in a good way!
" I will pick you up at 6am in the morning, we are going shooting"
Even though i had drove through the night and not had much sleep You wouldnt believe how excited i got, Fantastic a day sitting in a field with no one to talk to is just what i needed, the shooting was a bonus.
As arranged Barclay arrived at 6am with a cup of coffee and a roll up in his hand , dressed like a tree, this lad takes things very seriously and always has all the gear. "All right love, what about ya", he never fails to make me smile, hes a great lad to be around.
After a short drive along the country roads and a quick catchup we arrived at the freshly cut cornfield, the decoys were put out, the hide was set and the day began.
The view from the hide was good, the pigeons were perfect and the mornings shooting was amazing, although i was slightly out of practice. After not shooting for a while i was pleased with my efforts and 15 birds came home with us. As usual when we arrived back at Sepps the preperation and cooking bebate began, whole bird or just the breasts? "Just the breasts, what a waste".
After a period of time the whole bird won the day, the plucking began, the prep was messy but the end product was fantastic.
Five hours after shooting the birds the cooking began, i roasted the bird with a little olive oil, salt and cracked black pepper, when produce is five hours old i dont see why you need to over do the method of cooking, simply let the produce speak for its self. The birds were cooked medium rare, i served them with fresh boiled potatoes, a large mixed salad, toasted pitta bread and a blackberry dressing finished with crushed nuts and thyme.
Please see my recipe bank for the recipe.
Recipe: Wheaten Bread recipe
Ingredients
1 cup bread flour
2 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons white sugar
1/4 cup margarine
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon buttermilk
1 teaspoon white sugar
Method
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Prepare a shallow baking pan with cooking spray.`Sift together the bread flour, whole wheat flour, salt, baking soda, and 2 teaspoons sugar in a bowl.
Cut the margarine into the flour mixture, rub until a crumb is achieved
Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the oil and buttermilk.
Stir with a spatula until dry mixture is completely moistened.
Move the dough to a lightly-floured surface. Lightly knead the dough for no more than 1 minute.
Place the dough into the prepared pan; pat down and around to form a round loaf.
Cut a cross into the top of the loaf with your finger.
Brush the top with 1 tablespoon buttermilk; sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar over the top of the loaf.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C); rotate pan and bake another 30 minutes.
Allow loaf to cool on a wire rack before slicing.
Tuesday, 22 July 2014
Recipe: Tomato and mint soup
Ingredients
125 g Butter
500g Onions
1700G Tomato
170ml Dry sherry
2 tbls caster sugar
3 tbls chopped mnit
Method
sweat onions in butter untill soft
Add the tomatoes, sherry, sugar, mint & seasoning
Stir and cover, cook for 45 minutes
Liquidise untill smooth, pass through sieve
Add a little stock to balance out thickness of soup
Serve with cream
125 g Butter
500g Onions
1700G Tomato
170ml Dry sherry
2 tbls caster sugar
3 tbls chopped mnit
Method
sweat onions in butter untill soft
Add the tomatoes, sherry, sugar, mint & seasoning
Stir and cover, cook for 45 minutes
Liquidise untill smooth, pass through sieve
Add a little stock to balance out thickness of soup
Serve with cream
Recipe: Hazelnut and Almond praline
Ingredients
300g Flaked almonds
300g Hazelnuts
200ml Water
600g Sugar
Method
place the hazelnuts on a tray and roast in a hot oven until well browned
Remove from the oven and rub off the skins
Place the almonds under the grill until lightly browned
Place the sugar and water in to a heavy based pan, bring to the boil ensuring the sugar is desolved
cook until the sugar turns golden brown (do not stir at this stage)
Remove from te heat and add the nuts, turn out the mix on to a piece of silicone, allow to cool
Store in an airtight container until required
300g Flaked almonds
300g Hazelnuts
200ml Water
600g Sugar
Method
place the hazelnuts on a tray and roast in a hot oven until well browned
Remove from the oven and rub off the skins
Place the almonds under the grill until lightly browned
Place the sugar and water in to a heavy based pan, bring to the boil ensuring the sugar is desolved
cook until the sugar turns golden brown (do not stir at this stage)
Remove from te heat and add the nuts, turn out the mix on to a piece of silicone, allow to cool
Store in an airtight container until required
Recipe: Basic Brulee
Ingredients
1 Ltr Double cream
12 Egg yolks
150g caster sugar
2 Vanilla pods
Method
Place the double cream in a pan & add the two vanilla pods that have been split, Bring the cream to the boil, remove from heat and allow to infuse for two hours
Pass the cream and re-boil
Mix the egg yolks & sugar in a bowl, whisk until white and fluffy
Pour on the cream & whisk well
Place the bowl over a pan of boiling water and continuously whisk until the cream reaches the ribbon stage
Pour into moulds and chill over night
1 Ltr Double cream
12 Egg yolks
150g caster sugar
2 Vanilla pods
Method
Place the double cream in a pan & add the two vanilla pods that have been split, Bring the cream to the boil, remove from heat and allow to infuse for two hours
Pass the cream and re-boil
Mix the egg yolks & sugar in a bowl, whisk until white and fluffy
Pour on the cream & whisk well
Place the bowl over a pan of boiling water and continuously whisk until the cream reaches the ribbon stage
Pour into moulds and chill over night
Recipe: walnut and sultana bread
Ingredients list A
200g Fresh yeast
720ml Milk
150g Clear honey
700g Strong flour
200g Molasses
Ingredients list B
4 Kg Wholemeal flour
500g Butter
120g Salt
2 Ltr Warm milk
500g Chopped walnuts
500g Sultana
10 Eggs
Method
Mix all ingredientsof A for the forment, leave for at least 15 minutes, but preferably overnight
Combine all dry ingredients of B apart from walnuts ans sultanas in a mixing machine
Add enough of the ferment liquid to create a dough.
Ferment the dough for 30 minutes, then add the walnuts and sultanas
Knock back the dough, cut to size
Bake at 425f with steam and dampers closed for ten minutes, open dampers and finish cooking without steam
200g Fresh yeast
720ml Milk
150g Clear honey
700g Strong flour
200g Molasses
Ingredients list B
4 Kg Wholemeal flour
500g Butter
120g Salt
2 Ltr Warm milk
500g Chopped walnuts
500g Sultana
10 Eggs
Method
Mix all ingredientsof A for the forment, leave for at least 15 minutes, but preferably overnight
Combine all dry ingredients of B apart from walnuts ans sultanas in a mixing machine
Add enough of the ferment liquid to create a dough.
Ferment the dough for 30 minutes, then add the walnuts and sultanas
Knock back the dough, cut to size
Bake at 425f with steam and dampers closed for ten minutes, open dampers and finish cooking without steam
Recipe: Pickled mushrooms
Ingredients
400 ml white wine
200ml white wine vinegar
2 shallots diced
2 Garlic cloves crushed
400ml Olive oil
1 Bay leaf
500g Wild mushrooms
Method
Wash and dry the mushrooms
Add the wine to the vinegar and bring to the boil
Add the mushrooms and simmer until tender
Drain and leave the liquid to one side, once cooled slightly add the olive oil
Sweat the shallots and garlic, remove from heat
Place the mushrooms in a jar, add the bay leaf, shallot and garlic.
pour over enough cooking liquid to cover
Store in the fridge
Remember to season as you go!
400 ml white wine
200ml white wine vinegar
2 shallots diced
2 Garlic cloves crushed
400ml Olive oil
1 Bay leaf
500g Wild mushrooms
Method
Wash and dry the mushrooms
Add the wine to the vinegar and bring to the boil
Add the mushrooms and simmer until tender
Drain and leave the liquid to one side, once cooled slightly add the olive oil
Sweat the shallots and garlic, remove from heat
Place the mushrooms in a jar, add the bay leaf, shallot and garlic.
pour over enough cooking liquid to cover
Store in the fridge
Remember to season as you go!
Recipe: Cheese cake filling
Ingredients for the filling
1/3 pint of flavouring (this can be any flavouring you like)
170g sugar
350g Mascapone
500ml cream
4 sheets gelatine
Method
Mix the cheese and sugar together
Dissolve the gelatine in the filling
Add the flavouring to the cheese mix
Lift in the whipped cream
Spoon the mix in to a ring, already set with a base
Chilli for 4 hours
This mix makes one 10" ring.
1/3 pint of flavouring (this can be any flavouring you like)
170g sugar
350g Mascapone
500ml cream
4 sheets gelatine
Method
Mix the cheese and sugar together
Dissolve the gelatine in the filling
Add the flavouring to the cheese mix
Lift in the whipped cream
Spoon the mix in to a ring, already set with a base
Chilli for 4 hours
This mix makes one 10" ring.
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