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  1. Coriander and Mint Couscous

    June 17, 2006 by Lisa

    Obviously you can put anything you like in couscous, but I was rather pleased with this combo:

    • 250g couscous
    • Boiling water
    • knob of butter
    • 2 ripe tomatoes, cubed
    • 1/2 large cucumber, cubed (cucumbers in the UK are massive, so use a whole US sized one)
    • crumbled feta cheese to taste
    • handful of chopped fresh mint
    • handful of chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
    • juice from 1 1/2 limes
    • 2 tblsp olive oil
    • Salt and pepper to taste

    Prepare couscous according to directions and let cool. Add the rest of the ingredients and chill for an hour.

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  2. Pasta e Fagioli

    June 17, 2006 by Lisa

    (AKA Pasta Fazool)

    Not really a summer recipe, but a great one for when you have nothing fresh in the house. Wonderfully filling and lovely. Used dried beans if you like, but soak overnight first.

    • 2 cans pulses (any sort: kidney, cannellini, flageolets or haricot)
    • 125g cubed panchetta or chopped bacon
    • 2 tblsp olive oil
    • 1 shallot or a 1/4 – 1/2 an onion, chopped
    • 1 carton or a can of chopped tomatoes
    • stock cube (any sort)
    • 1 1/2 cups boiling water
    • large handful of chopped herbs – oregano, rosemary, marjoran and thyme are nice
    • 200gms small pasta, like Conchigliette (tiny shell pasta)
    • Salt and pepper

    In a large saucepan, fry the pancetta and shallot or onion in the olive oil until the onion is soft. Drain about half the water from the beans and add to the pan with the chopped tomatoes and the stock cube and boiling water. Add the chopped herbs and bring to a low boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for an hour or more or until the beans are tender. Longer is better as some beans can remain hard. Watch it carefully as the water can easily cook away and you run the risk of burning the soup. Add additional water if required. 15 minutes before the end, add the pasta (and a little more water if necessary).

    When the pasta is cooked, serve with crusty bread or polenta as desired. I like to make a double batch of soft polenta to serve the first time, then let it harden and slice and grill it for the next day’s serving. The second day is always the best.

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  3. Enchiladas de Pollo en Inglaterra

    June 13, 2006 by Lisa

    A rather time-consuming, fattening and messy proposition, but nice, nevertheless. “En Inglaterra” refers to ingredients you can get here easily. The corn tortillas from the grocery here are not really acceptable to me. Too… icky. Buy proper white corn tortillas at Mexgrocer online. Delicious.

    Mexican food is not always spicy and this recipe is very mild with a creamy sauce.

    Anyway, for the chicken, place 4 chicken thighs in a covered oven dish and add a couple of tablespoons olive oil, a good couple tablespoons of powdered cumin, some dried oregano and a splash or two of tabasco. Plop in a 200C oven for a while – between 40 mintes and an hour – until cooked through and falling off the bone. Shred the chicken and set aside. Keep the oily chickeny grease as you’ll need it later.

     

    Enchilada Sauce:

    • 2 Ramiro (large long red) Peppers
    • 1 tblsp Oregano
    • 1 tblsp Ground Cumin
    • 1 cup Chicken stock
    • 1 clove garlic
    • 1 chopped shallot (or 1/4 of an onion. I like shallots as I don’t use a lot of onion and they keep well).
    • scant 1/4 cup of the reserved chicken grease
    • 1/4 cup cream or milk
    • 1/2 tube of tomato paste

    Roast the peppers in the oven until fragrant and slightly blistered. Remove from oven and let cool. Scrape the seeds from the peppers and put in a blender with the rest of the ingredients. Blend well. Pour into a largish saucepan and simmer for about 10 minutes.

    For the Enchiladas

    • The chicken
    • The Sauce
    • 250gm cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
    • Soured Cream, avocado, sliced olives and cilantro (coriander) for garnish
    • 6-8 corn tortillas

    Place the rest of the chicken grease in a small frying pan and heat. You could use a cooking oil, but I like the flavour of the chicken grease. Fry a tortilla in the oil until just softened, then dip in the enchilada sauce, then transfer to a rectangular oven dish. Add a couple of tablespoons of chicken and a handful of cheese to the middle of the tortilla and roll it up gently. Repeat for the remainder of the tortillas until the pan is filled. Cover with the remaining sauce, sprinkle with the rest of the cheese and some olives. Bake in a 200C oven for 30-40 minutes until heated through.

    Serve with the condiments, mexican rice and refried beans).

    Ole!

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  4. Lamb, red wine and rosemary casserole with herby potato stacks and braised red cabbage

    February 17, 2006 by Lisa

    Brilliant. No changes required to this recipe: lamb, red wine and rosemary casserole with herby potato stacks and braised red cabbage.

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  5. Lamb Chops with Rosemary and Mint Sauce

    January 30, 2006 by Lisa

    • 6 lambchops
    • 2 tablespoons oil
    • 2-3 tablespoons chopped rosemary
    • 3 tablespoons mint jelly
    • clove garlic
    • tablespoon flour
    • 1 1/2 cups lamb broth (from a cube or stock)

    Grind garlic and rosemary in a pestle with the oil. Spread it on the top of the chops and cook them in a little olive oil for about 7 minutes a side. Remove from pan and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the flour and cook a couple of minutes. Add the broth and the mint jelly and cook over low heat until slightly thickened. Pour over chops.

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  6. Steak Sauce

    January 24, 2006 by Lisa

    Particularly nice on filet steak with a potato rosti. These are measurements in the ‘guesstimate’ style.

    • 1 cup beef stock
    • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
    • 1/4 cup canned chopped tomatoes or tomato puree
    • 1/2 glass red wine
    • 2 cloves garlic – chopped or pressed
    • generous shake of chili flakes, salt and fresh ground pepper

    Cook the steaks a couple minutes on each side for rare/medium rare and remove them to a medium oven to keep warm.

    Add the beef stock, wine, vinegar and tomatoes to the pan and cook 2 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic and boil hard until the sauce becomes syrupy. If you used the chopped tomatoes (or there are big chunks of garlic), you may wish to strain the sauce before pouring over the steaks.

    Category Miscellany | Tags: | No Comments

  7. Pomegranate and Balsamic Glazed Chicken

    January 10, 2006 by Lisa

    Adapted from a recipe at pomwonderful.com.

    • 3/4 cup pomegranate and cranberry juice. I used half of each because I didn’t have a full cup of pomegranate juice
    • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
    • 5 small carrots cut into bitesized chunks
    • 1 chopped shallot (I cater for those who are not fond of onions)
    • olive oil
    • 1 cup chicken broth
    • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (less if the balsamic is very rich)
    • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
    • 2 teaspoons brown sugar
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • fresh pomegranate seeds as garnish

    Brown the chicken with the carrots and shallot in oil until the carrots are tender. Stir frequently. Add the chicken broth to the pan and cover and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked. Transfer chicken and carrots to another dish and cover and keep warm.
    Pour out all but 1/3 cup of chicken cooking liquid in the skillet. Stir in pomegranate juice, balsamic, cornstarch, brown sugar and oregano. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes. Serve the sauce over chicken and carrots and garnish with reserved pomegranate seeds.

    Note: to extract pomegranate seeds, score the fruit and place in a bowl of water. Break open the pomegranate underwater to free the seeds. The seeds will sink to the bottom of the bowl.

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  8. Brilliant Cough Remedy

    January 9, 2006 by Lisa

    You know those nasty coughs you get at the end of a cold? The ones that are worse at night or when laying down and won’t let you sleep? I hate those.

    Here’s a brilliant remedy that works in seconds and lasts all night (well, nearly).

    • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or a couple of drops of tabasco – I was out of cayenne)
    • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
    • 1 tbsp honey (I use the manuka honey as it’s supposed to have extra antibacterial properties – worth a shot, hey?)
    • 1 tbsp cider vinegar
    • 2 tbsp boiling water

    Mix well and take 3 teaspoons to calm the cough. Keep the rest by the bed just in case. Amazing.

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  9. Plum Salsa

    January 8, 2006 by Lisa

    Lovely on seared tuna and salmon. Also good on a green salad or mixed with cold rice or served with anything else you’d serve a mango salsa with (I had no mangos, you see).

    Enough for 4 servings. Adjust quantities and proportions as you fancy. Chop all the bits into cubes.

    Ingredients:

    • 5 fresh plums
    • half an apple (half because we gave the other half to the rabbits)
    • 1/4 cucumber
    • 1/2 orange pepper
    • clove of garlic
    • 1 shallot
    • juice of one lime
    • fresh coriander
    • scant 1/4 cup olive oil
    • salt, pepper and Shichimi Togarashi (seven spice seasoning) or tabasco as you like

    Mix it up.

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  10. Cocido de Puerco

    December 20, 2005 by Lisa


    Very simple, very cheap Mexican stew. A family favourite. Serves 4 or more.

    Ingredients:

    • shoulder of pork (you can also use a large hamhock, ‘though, of course it will be considerably saltier and won’t take as long to cook)
    • 3 or 4 large potatoes quartered
    • half of a large head of white cabbage, quartered
    • 3 large carrots cut into large chunks
    • 4 small ears of corn (as in, 4 half ears)
    • generous amounts of cumin, oregano (about 2 tablespoons or more of each)
    • salt, pepper, fresh coriander and slices of lime for garnish

    Brown the pork in oil in a large pot on the stove. Cover with water, add the cumin, oregano, salt and pepper and cook at a low heat for 2 to 2.5 hours, adding water if needed. When the meat is tender and separates easily, add the potatoes, cabbage and carrots and cook until tender (about 20 minutes). Add the corn for the last 5 or 10 minutes.

    And that’s it. Serve with fresh coriander and lime, tortillas and mexican style rice.

    Category Dinner Menu, Lunch Menu | Tags: , , , , | No Comments

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