Mushroom and Pepper Stroganoff

This is perfect comfort food; plump mushrooms, sweet peppers and onions all bound together with a paprika and mustard spiced creamy sauce.  Great with rice, dolloped over a baked potato or spooned onto thick, toasted slices of rustic baguette or sourdough.
I always take the skin of the peppers by cutting them into sections then putting them skin side up under a hot grill until the skins blacken and blister.  I let them cool then peel the skin off with a knife.  This is not essential, it just makes the strips of pepper more silky in the finished dish.  
It's particularly good made with portobello mushrooms and maybe some shiitakes, however I often make it with a mixture of closed cup and chestnut mushrooms and it is still delicious.

Serves 4

Ingredients

25g Butter

Olive Oil
2 Red Onions, finely sliced

1 tablespoon Paprika

1 teaspoon Smoked Sweet Paprika (Pimenton de la Vera)
Salt and Black Pepper

2 Red or Yellow Peppers, skinned (if you are fussy like me) finely sliced
750g Mushrooms, cut into halves and thick slices
3 cloves Garlic, minced

100ml Red Wine

1 tablespoon Wholegrain Mustard

1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard

250ml Crème Fraiche
Parsley  

• Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat with a glug of olive oil then tip in the sliced red onions.  Season generously with salt and black pepper then add the paprika and smoked pimenton.
• Add the sliced peppers to the pan then cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onions and peppers are soft.
• Add the minced garlic followed by the mushrooms and give it a big stir.
• Pour in the red wine then add the mustards.  Cook for another 10-15 minutes, stirring often.
• When the juices have reduced down to a thick, bubbling syrup and the mushrooms are cooked and tender, spoon in the crème fraiche.  Stir it through until thoroughly blended and heat it until bubbling.  Taste to check for seasoning and stir through a handful of chopped flat leaf parsley just before serving.

Slow-Cooked Chilli Con Carne

We all love a good chilli, but it does have to be good doesn't it?  Nothing watery and insipid here, I am looking for warming, rich and hearty with flavourful, earthy spices and a tingling hum of chilli heat. 

Using good stewing beef rather than mince gives this chilli con carne great flavour and texture, especially when slow-cooked for around 3 hours.  I like to use pinto beans as well as red kidney beans, they are traditionally used in Mexican food and they make a soft contrast to the more robust red kidney beans.

This recipe makes a dish with medium heat.  If you like it hot I suggest 'layering' the heat by adding dried chilli flakes or, even better, you could experiment with a few different varieties of whole dried chillies, sliced or diced into the pan when you are sizzling the onion and red pepper.  Using chopped dried chipotle chillies (smoked jalapenos) adds real smoky depth to the dish, you could also consider using chipotle paste, you then won't need the smoked paprika.
As always the flavours are better the day after so, if you can, make it a day or two before you need it.

 

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

Olive oil

450g Stewing/Braising (Preferably Chuck) Beef, cut into small pieces

1 Large Red Onion (or 2 small), sliced

1 Red Pepper, diced

4-5 Garlic Cloves, minced

Salt and Black Pepper

1-2 Fresh Red Chillies, diced

1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika (or 1 Dried Chipotle Chilli finely chopped)

2 teaspoons Cumin

Half a teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper

1 teaspoon Dark Brown Sugar

1 Tin of Plum Tomatoes (400g)
400ml Beef Stock

1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

1 teaspoon Cocoa Powder
1 Tin of Red Kidney Beans (400g) or 100g Dried beans soaked overnight then boiled until tender
1 Tin of Pinto Beans (400g) or same as above with dried
 

• Pour a generous glug of olive oil into a large saucepan and put it on a medium heat.
• Add the sliced red onion and diced red pepper to the pan followed by a generous seasoning of salt and black pepper.
• After a few minutes cooking add the spices and the sugar then tip in the chopped fresh chilli and the garlic.  Stir briskly to avoid anything burning then add the beef to the pan.
• Turn the heat up to high then stir the beef around for a good 4-5 minutes to seal it and coat it with the spicy onion and pepper mixture.
• Tip the tinned tomatoes into the pan followed by the beef stock and the Worcestershire sauce.  Give it a thorough stir, bring to the boil then turn the heat to its lowest setting and let the chilli simmer, uncovered for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• After this time, add the cooked beans and the cocoa powder to the pan, stir through then let it simmer for about another hour, or until it is thick and rich with meltingly tender meat and beans.
• Serve it with long grain rice or, if you prefer, soft flour or corn tortillas.  I also like to have bowls of tortilla chips and grated strong cheddar cheese to sprinkle on the top, sour cream to spoon over and homemade guacamole for cool freshness. 

Chocolate Chip Brownies

Oh yes, yes, yes...deeply chocolatey, sensuously squidgy yet melt-in-the-mouth, these brownies will transport you to a beautiful place where the only thing you need to think about is your next bite.

There are four secrets to really good brownies...lots of good, very dark chocolate, lots of butter (we're not thinking about calories at this point), relatively little flour and (most importantly) they mustn't be over-baked.  They are ready when they have dried and slightly paled on the top and are still squidgy inside.  Between 18-20 minutes normally does it for me but I normally start to check it at 15 minutes.  Leave for longer if it's still moving like liquid but if you've just got a bit of wobble in the middle then it should be just right when cooled and cut.

Makes 18-24 Brownies

Ingredients

225g Salted Butter

300g Dark Chocolate (70% cocoa solids)

3 Large Eggs

1 tsp Good Instant Coffee Powder

2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

100g Caster Sugar

100g Light Brown Sugar

125g Plain Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

100g Chocolate Chips (dark, milk or white)

• Preheat the oven to 160C fan and line a rectangular tin with baking paper, I use a roasting tin, 25x35cm.
• Melt the butter and chocolate together in a bowl resting over a pan of simmering water (make sure the bowl does not touch the water).  When smooth put it aside to cool slightly.
• Whisk the sugars, eggs, coffee and vanilla extract for 4-5 minutes until light, thick and foamy.
• Fold the melted chocolate and butter mixture into the whipped sugar and eggs then fold in the flour and baking powder.  Mix until smooth then pour half of it into the lined tin and spread it out evenly.
• Sprinkle half of the chocolate chips over the brownie mixture then pour the rest of the mixture over, spread this out evenly then sprinkle over the remaining chocolate chips.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes until dry on the top, firm but still squidgy in the middle.
• Leave to cool completely in the tin then turn it out and cut into 18 decent sized pieces or 24 smaller pieces.
• Note - you can use dried fruit (cranberries or cherries are gorgeous) or chopped nuts (pecans are particularly good) instead of the chocolate chips.  You can add them as well as the chocolate chips if you want to, just be aware that you will need to increase the cooking time by 5 mins or so.

Banana Muffins

These muffins are beautifully light and fluffy with a slight squidgyness inside...and perfect for using up overripe bananas! 
I haven't added any extras here but feel free to think of them as a blank bananary canvas for the addition of chocolate chips, chopped pecan nuts or jumbo golden raisins, anything you consider suitable really.  
They are also rather lovely served with runny honey or a good jam...like homemade cherry and strawberry jam in the picture below, yum...

Makes 12 Muffins

Ingredients

250g Plain Flour

150g Caster Sugar

4 teaspoons Baking Powder

50ml Natural Yogurt

100ml Milk

3 Eggs

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

3 Ripe Bananas

Juice of Half a Lemon

100g Butter, melted 

• Preheat the oven to 200C and fill a muffin tin with paper cases.
• In a large bowl mix the plain flour with the caster sugar and baking powder.  Set aside for a few minutes until needed.
• In a measuring jug combine the yogurt, milk, eggs and the vanilla extract.
• Mash the bananas with the lemon juice in a small bowl then add the egg mixture, the melted butter and stir to combine.
• With a wooden spoon or spatula at the ready, pour the wet ingredients into the flour bowl and quickly stir it to thoroughly combine but not over-mix.
• Spoon the mixture into the paper muffin cases and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes until they are golden brown and risen.
• Let them cool for 15 minutes or so then tuck in.

Ciabatta Loaf

What a beautiful loaf the Italian ciabatta is, crunchy and rustic with a light, holey, chewy interior. 
There is a bit of a process involved in making it, requiring a pre-fermentation or 'biga', similar to a sourdough but far easier!  Don't let this put you off, homemade ciabatta is so much better than anything you can buy, you just need to bear in mind that it needs to be started the day before you want to eat it.

Makes 2 loaves

Ingredients

 Starter

150ml Warm Water

Half a teaspoon from a 7g sachet of Instant Dried Yeast

175g Strong White Bread Flour

For the Loaf

The remainder of the Instant Dried Yeast

400ml Warm Water

500g Strong White Bread Flour

2 teaspoons Salt

• In a small bowl mix the yeast into the water until dissolved then mix in the flour until a thick paste forms.  Give it a vigorous stir for a few minutes then cover and leave it to develop for at least 8 hours or overnight.
• In a large mixing bowl dissolve the remainder of the yeast in the water then stir in the biga.  Add the flour then the salt and stir with your hand until it is all incorporated into a sticky, wet dough.  Let this rest for about 30 minutes.
• When it has rested start to work the dough in the bowl.  It is too wet to knead so the best way is to scrape along the bottom of the bowl, stretching the dough up then slapping back into the bowl repeatedly, keep doing this for 10-15 minutes, you may need to change hands halfway through to save your arms!  This stage can be done in a mixer if you have a large one with a dough hook.
• When the dough has been thoroughly worked and beaten it should be markedly smoother and more stretchy.  This now needs to be left to rise for about 2 hours until it has tripled in volume.
• Generously flour the work surface and oil two baking trays/sheets.
• Trying not to deflate the dough, gently scrape the dough down from the sides of the bowl and slowly tip it onto the floured surface.  Cut it in half using a large knife then, with the oiled tray right next to it, scoop each 'loaf' onto the trays and shape into a vague oval.
• Leave these to rise again for 30-40 minutes and preheat the oven to 220C.
• Sprinkle the risen, bubbly dough with flour then bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and hollow sounding when tapped underneath, the loaves will also be quite light when you pick them up.
• Cool them on a rack then enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

Pork 'Moruno' Kebabs

I have always been drawn towards Spanish cuisine, however I've been particularly gastronomically inspired over the last few months following a couple of trips to Spain.  With flavours that are quite simple but punchy, fresh with the occasional touch of spice, this is food packed with passion.
These juicy, flavourful kebabs can also be made with chicken and are known as Pinchos Morunos or Pinchitos in Spain.  They can be served on little skewers as a tapas dish or packed tightly onto long skewers and served with a salad and maybe some rice or potatoes for a main course.
They are perfect cooked on the barbecue but are also great cooked in a griddle pan or under a hot grill.  Please do try this, it is a fantastically tasty way to cook pork and the flavours will blow your socks off, I promise!

Feel free to reduce the amount of salt if you want to however it is a traditional and integral element of the marinade, so please don't leave it out completely. Do be aware that the meat requires a long marinating time, preferably overnight. 

Makes 5-6 Long Kebabs



Ingredients

1 Pork Tenderloin/Fillet, approx. 500g

3 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 tablespoon Pimenton de la Vera Dulce (Smoked Sweet Paprika)

2 teaspoons Salt

Several generous grindings of Black Pepper

Half a teaspoon of Ground Cumin

Half a teaspoon of Ground Coriander

Juice of 1 Large Lemon

4-5 Cloves of Garlic, minced

Approx. 1 tablespoon of chopped Fresh Thyme leaves

Approx. 1 tablespoon of chopped Fresh Parsley

• Cut the pork fillet into cubes approximately 1 inch square.
• Mix all the ingredients for the marinade together in a bowl then tip in the cubes of pork.  Stir it and mix it around to thoroughly coat the pork then cover and chill in the fridge for (ideally) 8 or more hours.
• When you are ready to cook the pork, thread the cubes of meat onto metal or wooden skewers (if you are using wooden skewers make sure you soak them in warm water first), packing them together.
• Cook the kebabs for 15 to 20 minutes on a hot barbecue, griddle pan or under a hot grill, turning them regularly.  If you are doing smaller skewers as a starter or tapa/canapé they will not take as long.
• Serve as soon as they are cooked, eaten deliciously straight from the skewer.

 

 



Banana Crumble Cake

This beautifully moreish cake is reminiscent of an American crumb cake which, in turn originates from the German kuchen. 
My version is a soft banana cake which has a layer of brown sugar crumble halfway through then a crunchy finish on the top.
This cake is really good for using up over-ripe bananas (or those poor rejected ones that are left uneaten in a lunch box and have gone black and a bit soft by the time they are discovered...happens way too often in our house).

Ingredients

3 Ripe Bananas

Juice of half a Lemon

2 Large Eggs

50g Caster Sugar

50g Light Brown Muscovado Sugar

150g Soft Butter

200g Self Raising Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

For the Crumble

50g Light Brown Muscovado Sugar

50g Soft Butter

75g Self Raising Flour

• Preheat the oven to 175C (fan) and fully line a loaf tin with greaseproof/baking paper.
• In a small bowl, mash the bananas then add the lemon juice and the two eggs and mix thoroughly.
• In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and the sugars together until fluffy and paler in colour.  Slowly whisk in the banana mixture then add the flour, baking powder and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
• To make the crumble, simply combine the muscovado sugar, butter and flour together into a clumpy crumble.
• Spoon half of the banana mixture into the lined tin then evenly sprinkle over half of the crumble.  Spoon the remaining cake mixture in, smooth it out then sprinkle the rest of the crumble over the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes until risen and golden brown with an inserted skewer coming out clean.
• Leave to cool completely before slicing.

Creamy Chicken Soup

There are those days when nothing will soothe your soul quite like a steaming bowl of thick, creamy chicken soup.  Today, for me, is one of those days.

This is one of my staples to make when I've got leftover roast chicken.  I pick all the meat I can off the carcass then make stock by boiling up all the bones and bits for a good few hours.  Sometimes I will add bay leaves, carrots, celery, onion and maybe some other fresh herbs to the stock for extra flavour but most often I just go for pure chicken goodness.  Top tip - make the stock the day before you want to use it, strain and chill it overnight, then in the morning you can scrape the solidified fat off the top.

This soup is completely open to variations with the addition of other vegetables or herbs, I have suggested a few below.  On this occasion however, I'm going old-school, no messing around, I'm feeling traditional...

 

Ingredients

2 Large Brown Onions, roughly chopped

3-4 Sticks of Celery (if you have it in, it's not essential)), roughly chopped

2 cloves of Garlic, minced

50g Butter

4 tablespoons Plain Flour

100ml White Wine

2 pints (approx. 1 litre) Good Flavourful Chicken Stock

150-200g Cooked Chicken (breast, thigh or leg meat), cut into chunky pieces

150ml Double Cream

Lemon Juice

Salt and Black Pepper 

• Melt the butter in a saucepan on a low heat then tip in the onions and celery (if using), cook slowly for a few minutes then add the garlic and a good seasoning of salt and black pepper.  Continue to cook gently, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
• Turn the heat up slightly then add the flour to the pan, stir vigorously for about 20 seconds to incorporate it and cook the flour slightly, then pour in the white wine.  Let this bubble for a minute or two then pour in the chicken stock and stir well.
• Bring to the boil then cook on a medium heat for around 15 minutes until the vegetables are completely tender and the stock has reduced a little.
• Let the soup cool a little then blend until smooth with either a hand (stick) blender or a jug blender, if you have neither you can push it through a sieve.
• Pour the cream into the soup and add the chicken, then slowly bring back up to the boil.
• At this point if the soup is not as thick as you would like, mix a few tablespoons of plain flour with some double cream, milk or water into a smooth paste then stir it into the soup.
• When the thickness of the soup is to your liking stir in the juice of half a lemon then taste.  It will probably need more salt and pepper and maybe another squeeze of lemon.
• Bring back to the boil then serve steaming hot...and relax.

 

Variations

-Chicken and Leek - Use 2-3 leeks as well as the onions then only blend half the soup for a chunkier texture.
-Chicken and Mushroom - Add loads of mushrooms to the onions and cook down until all the liquid evaporates before adding the flour and continuing as above.  Also lovely with the addition of some chopped fresh sage or thyme.
-Chicken and Tarragon - Add a handful of chopped fresh tarragon leaves to the onions and add a dollop of Dijon mustard to the soup.  This is also very good with crème fraiche instead of double cream.

Orange, Pistachio and Almond Cake

I'm not sure I'm going to get away with describing this beautiful, Greek-inspired cake without using the 'm' word.  In fact I'm not even going to try...there is no getting away from the fact that this luxurious, orange scented cake is so very MOIST!  A rich, moist interior with a crunchy topping of toasty pistachios, such a great combination.
It is more of a torte than a cake really so makes a wonderful dessert served with a blob of cream.

As an aside, I always use my microplane grater for zesting oranges and lemons, it's a great little kitchen tool (I use it for garlic too) and removes the zest in tiny bits.  It's also worth saying that you need to remove the zest before cutting and juicing the orange.

Makes a small cake which will serve 6 people generously

 

Ingredients

2 Large Eggs, separated

150g Caster Sugar, plus a bit more for sprinkling

100g Soft Butter

Zest and Juice of an Orange

150g Ground Almonds
a few handfuls of shelled pistachios

• Preheat the oven to 175C (fan) and fully line a small sandwich tin (approx. 20cm in diameter) with baking/greaseproof paper.
• Put the egg yolks into a mixing bowl then add the caster sugar, butter, zest and juice of the orange.
• Beat these ingredients together then add the ground almonds and mix thoroughly, it will be quite a stiff mixture.
• In a separate bowl, with a clean whisk, beat the egg whites until they are white, voluminous and holding their shape.
• Take a large spoonful of the egg whites and mix it into the almond mixture to lighten it slightly.  Then spoon the rest of the egg whites into the mixture and carefully fold it in until thoroughly combined.
• Spoon the mixture into the lined tin, smooth it around then sprinkle the pistachios evenly over the top.  Sprinkle a few pinches of caster sugar over the top then bake in the pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes.  When the cake is done it will be a mid to deep golden brown and have a dry, shiny appearance.  I like to sprinkle it again with some caster sugar at this point, it finishes it off perfectly.
• Leave the cake in the tin to cool completely, then be careful when transferring it to a plate or cake stand.  It is has a crumbly, almost fluffy texture which does make it a bit tricky to move without it cracking, it doesn't affect the taste though!
• I serve this with a big dollop of softly whipped cream, delicious.



Garlic and Cheese Dough Balls

You can't go wrong with these plump little balls of garlic bready pleasure.  Made from my simple pizza dough recipe, they are easy to make, children love them (and love helping to make them!) and there are lots of variations that you can try.
Here I have used a combination of mature cheddar and Spanish Manchego, however many cheeses will work beautifully as long as they melt well.  Instead of garlic butter you can brush the balls with pesto then sprinkle with parmesan or pecorino at the end.  Try chopping sundried tomatoes with mozzarella, then strewing over the dough balls at the last stage before popping back in the oven for a few minutes to melt, yum.

Makes 32 Balls

Ingredients

350g Strong White Bread Flour (plus more for dusting)

1 teaspoon Salt

250ml Warm Water

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 teaspoon Sugar

1 sachet (7g) Instant Dried Yeast

75g Butter

2-3 Garlic Cloves, minced (I use a microplane grater)

A few generous handfuls of a good melting cheese

• Weigh the flour into a large mixing bowl then add the salt, stir to combine.
• In a measuring jug, measure the warm water then add the olive oil, sugar and yeast and give it a good stir.
• Pour the liquid into the flour bowl and mix vigorously with a fork to bring it together into a dough.
• Generously flour your work surface then tip the dough onto it.  Knead the dough by stretching it away from you then folding it back repeatedly.  Keep doing this, adding more flour if needed, for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and springy to the touch (it should spring back out when prodded with your finger).
• Sprinkle a little flour into your bowl then put the ball of dough into it, cover then leave for 1-2 hours until the dough has more than doubled in size.  Oil a large baking tray.
• Using your fist, knock the dough down then tip it out onto the work surface again.  Knead it for a few minutes to incorporate any flour that has stuck on then cut the dough in half.  Shape these two pieces into balls then cut them in half.  Keep doing this until you have 32 pieces of dough.
• Roll each piece of dough between your hands (lightly oil your hands first) until you have a smooth ball, then place each one onto the oiled baking tray.  Make sure you leave a few centimetres between each dough ball to allow for expansion. 
• Leave the dough balls for 30 minutes to an hour to rise.  Preheat the oven to 200C (fan).
• Make the garlic butter by softening the butter (I pop it in the microwave for 10 seconds, you want it soft not completely melted) then mix in the minced garlic.
• Once the dough balls are risen, brush (I use a silicon pastry brush) half of the garlic butter onto each ball.
• Bake the dough balls in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes until they are golden brown.  Take the baking tray out of the oven then brush the remaining garlic butter over the dough balls and sprinkle with the cheese.  Pop them back into the oven for a few minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
• Serve them after they have had a few minutes to cool...if you can wait that long!

 

Banana, Date and Walnut Loaf Cake

I am delighted to make this cake my first post of the new year, in fact I'm a tad smug.  Why, you ask?  I'll tell you why...it is slightly gooey yet light, full of fruit and crunchy walnuts, very easy to make and...(drum roll please)...it has no added fat or sugar!  And if we're going to get really excited, it's dairy free too!!

I even went as far as to calculate the calories in it and, going on the premise that you will get 14 slices, it is approximately 130 calories per slice.  I'd like to point out that this is not going to become a regular thing, rather an early-January enthusiastic calorie awareness on my part...I doubt it will last, it never does!

You can replace the walnuts with pecans if you prefer, if you don't like nuts at all you can replace them with sultanas, dried cranberries or glace cherries.

You should get about 14 generous slices

Ingredients

125g Dates, finely chopped

100ml Apple Juice

2 Medium Bananas

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Juice of half a Lemon

1 Large Egg

200g Self-Raising Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

Pinch of Salt

75g Walnuts, chopped

• Put the chopped dates with the apple juice into a small pan.  Bring slowly to the boil then turn off the heat and leave to cool slightly.
• Preheat the oven to 175C and line a loaf tin with greaseproof/baking paper.
• In a small bowl, mash the bananas with the lemon juice and the vanilla extract then mix in the egg.
• Tip the self-raising flour into a mixing bowl then mix in the baking powder and pinch of salt.
• Pour in the mashed banana and egg followed by the cooled date mixture and stir thoroughly to combine.  Finally stir in the chopped walnuts.
• Spoon the mixture into the lined tin and bake in the pre-heated oven for 35 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle of the cake.
• Leave to cool for a few minutes then transfer the cake out of the tin and onto a cooling rack to cool completely.  To store, wrap the cake in baking paper and keep in an airtight container.