January is coming to an end, not fast enough for me. We’re still in lockdown, schools are still closed, we’re stuck at home, so one thing we can do is cook and bake and eat well. Yesterday a roasted cauliflower soup for lunch.
A small cauli, 2 shallots, a couple of garlic cloves, some cumin seeds, olive oil and salt and in the oven for 35-40 minutes, partially covered. I ended up adding more ground cumin later.
Roasted veggies were added into hot chicken stock, cooked for a few minutes, blitzed into a creamy goodness, seasoned and finished with a touch of double cream. On top some toasted sunflower seeds. Lovely, nutritious, wintery soup.
Today, fresh pasta. I wanted to have a go at making agnolotti, youtube videos made it look easy enough, mine were nowhere near as pretty. More practice is needed, the flavour however was there and we ended up with lovely dinner. The stuffing- roasted butternut squash, red onions, pine nuts, walnuts, parmesan. Fresh thyme. Florek made pasta, the sauce was a simple fresh tomato reduction, lots of olive oil and some more of that beautiful fresh thyme. Next time the pasta will be thinner and better looking.
It was only the second time I attempted a steak tartare at home. Done it a few years ago to Mum’s instructions, but was seriously underwhelmed,then had a few good ones in Brasserie Blanc and in Cote, not to mention that sensational one Florek had in Paris a year ago, but now, in lockdown, with great butcher around the corner there was no excuse but to try again. Especially with a recipe.
So I bought 300 g of fillet steak, which Toby kindly minced for me. To go with it I used 1 tbsp of chopped capers, a finely chopped echalion shallot, ended up adding a bit more, 2 tbsps of chopped parsley, 1 tbsp of olive oil, a large chopped cornichon, some tabasco, a generous seasoning of sea salt and black pepper. What the recipe lacked and I added 2 tsps of was Dijon mustard, a must, in my opinion. Worked it all well, formed 2 portions and placed a fresh egg yolk on top. Seasoning was checked and double checked and still salt and pepper mills, as well as tabasco ended up on the table. With the tartare we had some delicious matchstick fries and polished a bottle of Spanish garnacha. Very good indeed.
I’m amazed I’ve never done this before. I’ve been buying mediocre ham from the shops and butcher’s for years. The best I’ve ever had had to be the stuff Dad used to smoke before Christmas years ago. Yesterday a new Good Food mag came through the door, with a festive, glazed ham on the cover. I showed it to Florek and said- this is a sign from God. 🙂
I looked up a few simple recipes, added a small, unsmoked gammon joint to my Sainsbury’s load due to arrive this morning and I thought, the worst that could happen I would have wasted 4 quid. But I didn’t waste it. The house still smells of cloves, but I think for Christmas I’ll make another one, festive, maybe with orange glaze or something, I’ll research the subject and do more of these, now that I know I can!!!
So the small, 750 g gammon went into the pot of cold water, enough of it to submerge the whole thing, alongside the whole onion, a carrot, 3 bay leaves, some peppercorns, a small rosemary sprig, celery stick and some cloves. When it came to the boil, I covered it and simmered for about 40 minutes. Took it out, glazed with half of the combination of honey( 70g), Dijon mustard, about 1,1/2 tsp and 2 tbsps of dark sugar. Roasted it in 200 degrees for 15 minutes, before reglazing it with the remaining mixture and then 15 minutes again.
What I ended up with is a succulent piece of ham, salty, with sweet glaze, juicy and wonderful. I’m looking forward to making some lunch with it tomorrow. Also, reviews say that the stock from poaching the ham will make a fantastic base for a soup. Mine’s saved and waiting. Good stuff!!
The curry recipe is from December edition of Waitrose magazine, from which I also picked up a dessert I will make for Christmas. I actually already made some to try it out, I’m glad I did, as there will be some corrections made.
Now, the duck curry I simply had to try, especially as there were 2 duck legs sitting in the freezer. Florek promised he would give it a go, although he’s not a duck fan at all. For me the whole dinner tonight was excellent, Florek had it, but was not blown away by the duck, by the naan they both were. My lovely kiddo was finishing her picture after dinner and still chewing on the remaining bread, as it was”the best ever”.
Now, the duck legs, once defrosted received a nice sprinkling of curry powder, salt and turmeric and once we came back from school, got browned off on a little oil. 2 large onions chopped went into the pan, once the thighs were set aside, I cooked these down for nearly 15 minutes. Then a garlic and ginger paste went in, about 5 garlic cloves and a significant chunk of fresh ginger. Cooked for a few minutes with the onions. 1 tsp of chili flakes. 300 ml of chicken stock. Some salt- will leave out next time, the whole thing was salted plenty. The thighs back in, about 45 minutes later I was supposed to uncover them and continue cooking for another 40 minutes, but the meat needed longer, so I kept the lid on. In the meantime I got the rice ready, the fried shallots and the apple salad- that was lovely with a rich curry. 2 dessert apples very thinly sliced, some fresh chili, the dressing on juice of 1 lime, 1 tsp of fish sauce and a drizzle of sesame oil.
The naan! I don’t often make it from scratch, but this recipe I’m keeping. Found it on youtube, by some guy who loves curry. It was quick to make and when taken off the pan and smeared with some butter- I had to keep the child away after letting her try some. I used about 210g of self raising flour, 1tsp each of sugar and baking powder, a pinch of salt, then some Greek yoghurt, a splash of milk and some olive oil and all this quickly became a nice, soft dough. Once kneaded for a few minutes, it was rolled out, some garlic slices and fresh coriander were pressed in with the rolling pin and onto the pan on a medium heat for about 4 minutes on each side. Finished with butter and a tiny sprinkling of sea salt. Delicious!
Last time in Cote Florek had a similar dish and was surprised at how much he liked it. So we took our pasta machine out this afternoon and collectively made ourselves an absolutely delicious dinner. Florek, as usual produced a silky smooth, wonderful pasta and rolled it out for me ready to fill. Which I did with a mixture of toasted, blitzed walnuts, a generous handful of them, roughly half and half ricotta and a goat’s cheese, some grated parmesan, salt and pepper. That’s all.
Once ravioli were cooked, I chucked them onto the pan with lots of salted butter, some pre cooked and peeled broad beans ans peas. I finished them on the plates with toasted walnuts, parmesan, black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Shockingly good! 🙂 Looking forward to having it again.
Marion’s. One, that Miky Drago said last week is much better than any take away. I don’t have take aways, so I can’t argue, but one thing for sure, this was a very tasty stir fry. And simple too.
I used a large, thinly sliced piece of rib eye, which sat in a quick marinade, while the rest of the stuff was getting ready. A good splash of soy sauce, Chinese vinegar, a tsp of bicarb soda and a tsp of cornflour made the marinade. Then the sauce; oyster sauce, soy sauce, some vinegar, some sugar and lots of black pepper, freshly ground. Into the wok I chucked some sliced garlic, roughly chopped shallot, then after a minute or 2 the beef. Seared it quickly, then the peppers, mixed colours, the sauce, the spring onions. Served with rice. Very good indeed, will be looking at more stuff from that lovely lady.
The tastiest thing I’ve made in a long time. My fingers still smell of coriander, the last thing on the palate are those wonderful garlic chips.
The recipe comes from Marion’s Kitchen, the same Marion who was a favourite to win Aussie Masterchef in season 1, she didn’t win, but she did very much alright for herself, not only selling a range of Thai sauces and condiments, but running that fantastic youtube channel first of all.
So first job was a garlic clove, roughly chopped and fried till golden, left to cool. A dressing- made with chili, coriander- stalks and all, garlic, salt and lime juice, I also added a dash of sesame oil.
And the dumplings, the beauties! A bag of those lovely Iceland shimps, most of them finely chopped, the rest roughly chopped, for texture. Seasoned with white pepper, salt, sugar, chicken stock and mixed with some cornflour. Gyoza wrappers were defrosting since breakfast, filled them with the prawn mixture and gently poached them. Added my remaining chicken stock to the poaching water, never too much flavour!
Once cooked, that lovely vibrant dressing went on top, alongside garlic chips and fresh coriander. What a lovely plate of food that was.
Florek, not a prawn fan tried 2-3 dumplings and asked for a plate next time I make them. Florek liked my prawn dish, Donald Trump has corona virus, the world is coming to an end!!!
The world has come to an end. Husband said- you’ve found me a lamb dish that I like. I know, right? 🙂
It’s been a good day. Lots of visible work around the house got done, a cake with plums got baked, 3 productive hours in the garden were spent too. And then, having washed the dirt off my fingernails I got cracking with dinner. Recipe comes from Waitrose magazine, I’ve bought all I needed there yesterday and ended up with a lovely dinner this evening.
First I trimmed and roughly chopped 2 lamb leg steaks, seasoned with salt and herb pepper and browned off on olive oil. Large chopped onion and 2 mashed garlic cloves in. Some green beans, not in the recipe. A small amount of fresh rosemary, 2 bay leaves, 2 fresh tomatoes and a good splash of passata, a tsp of honey, some salt, 200 ml of chicken stock. All this left simmering under the lid while orzo cooked to the packet instructions. Once the lamb was soft, orzo went into the casserole, shortly before serving a good handful of fresh spinach, just to wilt.
We had it with crusty bread and a half bottle of French rose. Eaten to the last grain of orzo. Delicious. And will be made again.
Carbonara is Florek’s favourite pasta, alongside pesto. I’ve made it many times, sometimes with pancetta, sometimes with smoked streaky bacon. Never came across guanciale in the UK, so could not test this one.
Marco Pierre White was a guest chef in Masterchef Australia, that I’m still binging on, he made his version of carbonara and I tested it last night. the crowd was divided; we both liked it, finished the lot, agreed it was on the lighter side and very tasty, but if it was better than the bacony one with garlic that I normally make? Not sure. I bought some of that mega thin, sliced pancetta and roasted it in the oven, while the pasta was cooking. Risky business that, as pancetta was so thin it needed to be watched in order not to be burnt. Right before assembling the dish, I finished it off on the pan with 2 crushed garlic cloves.
3 egg yolks gently whipped with a splash of double cream- if Marco Pierre White uses cream- clearly that is a legal thing to do. Well seasoned, some grated parmesan chucked in. This was my first ever carbonara with virtually raw egg yolks. Once the pasta was cooked and drained, I added the yolk/cream/parmesan mix to it and tossed it well, away from the heat. It certainly was much lighter and creamier than my usual one. Only then pancetta was added, more parmesan and that was that. Still not sure if this is the way I’ll be doing it next time, but it had to be tested.
Last week we decided it was time to join the club of The People Who BBQ. We rather enjoy membership of the Tesla Owners Club, where drivers greet each other on the road just because they also drive one. Not everywhere, mind, Cheltenham area, Cotswolds, further down the A40 the greetings don’t work anymore.
Lidl had these little beauties on offer from Thursday morning. At £80 a piece. Today, on Sunday there were none left!
But we’ve got one. We’ve tried it a couple of times already, there were great sausages, burgers and also chicken skewers- mind blowing ones! The smoky flavour is just unbeatable!
This afternoon some lovely prawns made a debut. They sat in the marinade of garlic, chili flakes, salt, parsley, coriander, lime zest and juice and olive oil since early lunch time and later on they got grilled and were devoured with some lovely French rose. So much of that rose , in fact, that I’m having trouble spelling!!! But they were some of the best shrimps I’ve eaten in a long time. Next weekend Mariusz is coming over, there will be steaks and more grilling. It’s going to be epic! 🙂
