Posted in September 2007

Steak Sandwich

Source: yummy, yummy
Friday 28th September 2007, 6:24pm

Dead easy and damn tasty!

Ingredients
1 onion, cut into wedges
2 tsp olive oil
140g/5oz sirloin steak
1 tsp grain mustard
55g/2oz Roquefort
handful watercress
½ ciabatta loaf , cut in half

Method
1. Roast or fry the onion wedges in the oil until soft.
2. Cook the steak to your liking.
3. Spread the cooked steak with the mustard and slice.
4. Layer the sandwich. Begin with the watercress on the base, add the steak, onions and cheese. Top with the bread lid and tuck in.

by James Martin from Housecall

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Chocolate Beer Cake

Source: yummy, yummy
Monday 24th September 2007, 5:29pm

If you come from Dublin, you make this with Guinness; if you come from Cork, you make this with Murphy's. Either way, the beer gives it an interesting and quite different flavour.

Ingredients

For the cake:

2 oz (50 g) cocoa powder
7 fl oz (200 ml) stout
4 oz (110 g) very soft butter
10 oz (275 g) dark soft brown sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
6 oz (175 g) plain flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

For the icing:

4 oz (110 g) icing sugar, sifted
2 oz (50 g) very soft butter
2 tablespoons stout
4 oz (110 g) dark chocolate (50-55% cocoa solids)
1 oz (25 g) walnut pieces, finely chopped

To decorate:

8 walnut halves
cocoa powder, for dusting

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C).

You will also need two 8 inch (20 cm) sponge tins, 1½ inches (4 cm) deep, lightly greased, and the bases lined with baking parchment, lightly greased.

Method

First of all, cream the butter and sugar together, beating thoroughly for 3 or 4 minutes until pale and fluffy. Now gradually beat in the eggs, a little at a time, beating well between each addition. Next, sift the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda on to a sheet of baking parchment. Then weigh the cocoa and put it in a separate bowl, gradually stirring the stout into it. Now carefully and lightly fold into the egg mixture small quantities of the sifted flour alternately with the cocoa-stout liquid. Then, when both have been added, divide the cake mixture equally between the 2 tins and level it out.

Bake the sponges in the centre of the oven for 30-35 minutes. The cakes should be flat on top and feel springy and will have shrunk slightly from the side of the tin. Leave them to cool in the tins for 5 minutes before turning out on to a wire rack to cool further, carefully stripping off the base papers.

To make the icing, beat the icing sugar and butter together until blended, then gradually add the stout, making sure it is thoroughly mixed in after each addition. Now melt the chocolate in a bowl set over hot water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water. Then, when it's melted, remove the bowl from the water, and carefully fold the chocolate into the icing mixture. Now remove a third of the icing to a separate bowl and stir in the chopped walnuts. After all the icing has cooled to a spreadable consistency, sandwich the cake with the walnut icing. Then spread the remaining two-thirds of the icing on top of the cake, using a palette knife. Next, dust the walnut halves with cocoa powder and arrange on top of the cake. Now try to be patient and allow the icing to become firm before eating!

This recipe first appeared in The Delia Collection: Chocolate.

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Chicken Bacon Roulades Recipe

Source: yummy, yummy
Thursday 20th September 2007, 2:05pm

Chicken breasts, pounded thin, stuffed with bacon, shallots, and Parmesan, rolled up, browned, roasted, then served sliced, with a creamy white sauce. Yowza.

This meal, a veritable feast, is dedicated to Simply Recipes frequent commenter jonathan who knows that if we could make bacon ice cream we would, just for him.

4 shallots, thinly sliced
10 bacon slices (about 1/2 pound)
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
Lemon pepper seasoning to taste (or ground black pepper with a little lemon zest)
6 Tbsp grated Parmesan (about 1 ounce)
1 Tbps olive oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 Tbsp flour
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy cream

1 Working in batches, cook the bacon over medium heat in an ovenproof heavy skillet, until lightly brown but still flexible (not crisp). Place the bacon on paper towels to drain. Cook the shallots in the remaining bacon fat over low heat, stirring, until softened. Transfer shallots with a slotted spoon to a small bowl and leave any fat remaining in skillet. Preheat oven to 300°F

2 Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. With smooth side of a meat pounder pound each breast to 1/8-inch thickness. Discard plastic from boned side of each breast. Sprinkle chicken with lemon pepper (or ground black pepper and a little lemon zest) and salt. Place 2 1/2 slices of bacon lengthwise (parallel with grain of flesh) along middle of each breast. Top with shallots and Parmesan. Using plastic wrap to help you, tightly roll up each breast lengthwise, tucking in the ends to enclose the filling. Secure seams with wooden toothpicks.

3 Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to reserved fat in skillet and heat over medium high heat. Brown roulades on all sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer the skillet to middle of oven and bake roulades until just cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. (Note: we found that our skillet didn't fit in our oven, so we transfered the roulades to a smaller pan.)

4 Transfer chicken to a plate with tongs and keep warm, covered with aluminum foil. Pour off fat from skillet. (Careful! The handle is hot, use an oven mitt.) Add wine to the skillet and deglaze over medium high heat, scraping up brown bits. Boil wine until reduced to about 1 tablespoon. Add garlic and butter. Cook mixture over medium low heat, stirring, for 1 minute. Add flour and cook roux, stirring, 1 minute. Add broth and cream and bring to a boil, whisking. Simmer the sauce, whisking, 2 minutes. Pour through a fine mesh sieve into a small saucepan. Keep sauce warm. Remove the wooden toothpicks from roulades and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Spoon some sauce in center of each of 4 plates and arrange roulade slices decoratively on sauce.

Serves 4.

Adapted from a recipe in Gourmet Magazine, July 1998.

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Quattro Formaggi (Four Cheese) Pizza

Source: yummy, yummy
Tuesday 18th September 2007, 2:40pm

This is the classic version of one of the most wonderful combinations of bread and cheese imaginable. You can, of course, vary the cheeses, but the ones I've chosen here are a truly magical combination.

Ingredients

For the pizza base:

6 oz (175 g) plain white soft flour
1 level teaspoon salt
1 level teaspoon easy-blend dried yeast
½ level teaspoon golden caster sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
2-3 level tablespoons polenta (cornmeal) to roll out, plus a little extra

For the topping:

2½ oz (60 g) ricotta
2 oz (50 g) Mozzarella, cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) slices
2 oz (50 g) Gorgonzola Piccante, cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) slices
1 oz (25 g) Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano), grated (see recipe introduction)

Pre-heat the oven to its lowest setting.

You will also need a pizza stone or solid baking sheet measuring 14 x 11 inches (35 x 28 cm).

Method

Begin by warming the flour slightly in the oven for about 10 minutes, then turn the oven off. Sift the flour, salt, yeast and sugar into a bowl and make a well in the centre of the mixture, then add the olive oil and pour in 4 fl oz (120 ml) hand-hot water. Now mix to a dough, starting off with a wooden spoon and using your hands in the final stages of mixing. Wipe the bowl clean with the dough, adding a spot more water if there are any dry bits left, and transfer it to a flat work surface (there shouldn't be any need to flour this). Knead the dough for 3 minutes or until it develops a sheen and blisters under the surface (it should also be springy and elastic). You can now either leave the dough on the surface covered by the upturned bowl or transfer the dough to a clean bowl and cover it with clingfilm that has been lightly oiled on the side that is facing the dough. Leave it until it looks as though it has doubled in bulk, which will be about an hour at room temperature.

Having made the dough and left it to rise, pre-heat the oven to gas mark 8, 450°F (230°C), along with the pizza stone or baking sheet. The next stage is to tip the dough back on to a work surface that has been sprinkled generously with polenta to prevent it from sticking. Knock all the air out of the dough and knead it for a couple of seconds to begin shaping it into a ball. Then dust your rolling pin with polenta and roll the dough out to a circle that is approximately 10 inches (25.5 cm) in diameter. Then finish stretching it out with your hands, working from the centre and using the flat of your fingers to push the dough out; it doesn't need to be a perfect round, but you want it to be a fairly thin-based pizza, with slightly raised edges.

Then, using a thick oven glove, very carefully lift the baking sheet or pizza stone out of the oven and sprinkle it with a little polenta (cornmeal). Now carefully lift the pizza dough on to the stone or baking sheet and quickly arrange teaspoonfuls of ricotta here and there all over. After that, scatter the Mozzarella and Gorgonzola pieces in between and, finally, scatter the Parmesan over.

Bake the whole thing on a high shelf for 10-12 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbling. You can lift the edge up slightly to check that the underneath is crisp and brown. Carefully remove the baking sheet or pizza stone from the oven, again using a thick oven glove, and serve the pizza on hot plates straight away.

This recipe is taken from How to Cook Book One and Delia's Vegetarian Collection.

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Courgette and Potato Cakes with Mint and Feta Cheese

Source: yummy, yummy
Thursday 13th September 2007, 9:27am

These quite brilliant little courgette cakes used to have to be fried, which is tiresome when you have much to prepare for a party. However, we have tried baking them in the oven, which works a treat.

Ingredients

6 medium courgettes (weighing about 1 lb 8 oz/700 g in total)
4 medium Desirée potatoes (weighing about 1 lb 8 oz/700 g in total)
4 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
1 lb (450 g) Feta, crumbled
4 spring onions, finely chopped
2 large eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons plain flour
2 tablespoons plain flour
2 oz (50 g) butter
1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
salt and freshly milled black pepper

You will also need two baking trays, each measuring 10 x 14 inches (25.5 x 35 cm).

Method

First you need to grate the courgettes coarsely – a food processor is good for this – and put them into a colander. Then sprinkle them with 2 level teaspoons of salt to draw out some of their excess moisture and leave them to drain for about an hour, with a plate or bowl underneath to catch the juices.

Meanwhile, scrub the potatoes and place them in a very large saucepan, with a little salt. Pour just enough boiling water over them to cover them, then simmer gently with a lid on for 8 minutes to parboil them. After that, drain them and leave them aside until they’re cool enough to handle. Then peel them and, using the coarse side of a grater, grate them into a large bowl and season with more salt and some freshly milled black pepper.

When the hour is up, rinse the courgettes under cold, running water, squeeze out as much moisture as possible with your hands, then spread them out on a clean tea cloth and roll it up to wring out every last drop – this is very important, so the cakes are not wet.

Now, add the courgettes to the grated potatoes, along with the spring onions, mint, Feta and beaten eggs and, using two forks, lightly toss it all together. Next, divide the mixture into 16 and shape into rounds about ½ inch (1 cm) thick, pressing them firmly together to form little cakes. They don’t have to be very neat – it’s nice to have a few jagged edges. Then lightly dust the cakes with the flour.

To cook them, first pre-heat the oven to gas mark 7, 425°F (220°C) and also pre-heat the baking trays. Meanwhile, melt the butter and oil in a small saucepan, then brush the cakes on both sides with it. When the oven is up to heat, place the cakes on the trays, returning one to the top shelf and the other to the middle shelf for 15 minutes. After that, carefully turn the cakes over, using a palette knife and a fork, swap the positions of the trays in the oven and cook them for a further 10-15 minutes. Serve hot.

This recipe is taken from How to Cook Book Three and Delia's Vegetarian Collection.

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Lamb Ossobuco with an ‘almost’ Risotto Milanese

Source: yummy, yummy
Tuesday 11th September 2007, 3:23pm

The very authentic bit in all this is Cirio i Sughi Rustici sauce – very tomatoey and very Italian and the gremolata, a mixture of lemon peel, parsley and garlic is sprinkled on top.

Ingredients

1 lb (450 g) neck of lamb fillet
1 medium onion
1 clove garlic
1 x 400 g jar of Cirio i Sughi Rustici (basilico)
1 dessertspoon olive oil
6 fl oz (175 ml) dry white wine
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
salt and freshly milled black pepper

For the risotto:

1 small onion, finely chopped
1 oz (25 g) butter
5 fl oz (150 ml) carnaroli rice
5 fl oz (150 ml) white wine
5 fl oz (150 ml) vegetable stock, made-up from Marigold Swiss vegetable bouillon powder
a generous pinch of saffron
2 heaped tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
salt

For the gremolata (to finish):

1 clove garlic
1 heaped tablespoon fresh parsley
1 heaped teaspoon lemon zest

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6, 400°F (200°C).

Method

Begin by trimming off the obvious fat from the neck fillets, then slice them into little round nuggets about 1½ inches (4 cm) thick. Then peel and slice the onion and the garlic and arrange them in the base of a shallow, sauté pan, heatproof dish or casserole. Place the little nuggets of meat in an upright position on top of the onions, then sprinkle in the oil, season with salt and pepper and pop the whole thing on to a high shelf in the oven and leave it there without a lid for 30 minutes. After this time, the edges of the lamb will be nicely browned.

After that, whisk the tomato sauce, wine and wine vinegar together in a jug and when the meat has had its 30 minutes, pour the tomato mixture all over. Then turn the oven temperature down to gas mark 1, 275°F (140°C) and still leaving the lid off, let it cook for another 1½ hours.

Now for the risotto and there is a strict rule here: one thing the cheat must do with this risotto is use a timer – given that it’s dead easy otherwise, this is no big deal. Overcooking makes it stodgy so don’t leave it around before serving. All you do is take a small frying pan with a lid, sweat the onion in it in the butter for 3-4 minutes, stir in the rice, then add the wine and stock and saffron, along with some salt. As soon as it reaches simmering point, turn the heat down to its lowest setting, put a lid or a suitably sized plate on top and let it cook gently for 20 minutes. And stand by to serve it as soon as the timer goes or presto pronto, as they say in Italy.

Meanwhile, make the gremolata. Finely, peel, chop and crush the garlic and chop the parsley. Then mix the garlic with the parsley and grated lemon zest. Then when the rice is ready – the grains will be cooked but still have some bite and be surrounded by a small amount of creamy liquid – stir in the grated Parmesan. Serve the rice divided into the centre of hot plates with the lamb on top of the sauce and the parsley gremolata sprinkled over the top. All I have to say now is buon appetito!

How To Cheat Ingredients:

• Cirio i Sughi Rustici (basilico)
• Freshly grated Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano) in a tub

Both from Sainsbury’s

How To Cheat Equipment:
Berndes 24cm removable handle sauté pan which can be used on top of the stove or in the oven as a small casserole.
Available from: Aga shops and other good cookshops

This recipe first appeared in You magazine.

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Marinated Courgette and Coriander Salad

Source: yummy, yummy
Saturday 8th September 2007, 11:40am

Courgettes harvested young and tender are perfect in this salad, based on the classic à la Grecque theme – serve it as a starter with chunks of sourdough bread or as an accompaniment to grilled chicken or fish.

Ingredients

12 oz (350 g) small courgettes
1 heaped teaspoon coriander seeds
1 level tablespoon chopped fresh coriander leaves and a few extra sprigs for serving
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, peeled and chopped small
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
6 black peppercorns
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
6 tablespoons white wine
juice 1 small lemon
1 large very red, ripe tomato, skinned and chopped
salt

You will also need a frying pan with a lid

Method

First place a frying pan over a medium heat and, as soon as it gets hot, measure the coriander seeds straight into it. What they need now is to dry-roast, and this will take 1–2 minutes. Shake the pan from time to time to toss them around a bit and, as soon as they start to jump, remove them from the heat and tip them straight into a mortar.

Now place the pan back over the heat and, as soon as it is hot, add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and gently soften the onion and garlic in it for about 10 minutes. Now coarsely crush the coriander seeds along with the peppercorns using a pestle. Next measure the wine vinegar and wine and pour this in to join the onion along with the crushed coriander and peppercorns, the lemon juice and a little salt. Bring it all up to a simmer and then turn the heat down and simmer gently for 5 minutes.

To prepare the courgettes: don’t peel them, just wipe each one, trim off the ends and cut into 1 in (2.5 cm) diagonal or round chunks. Now add these to the sauce together with the chopped tomato, then stir well, put the lid on and simmer over a gentle heat for about 15 minutes, or until they’re tender but still retain some ‘bite’. Now carefully stir in the fresh coriander leaves, transfer the whole lot to a serving dish to cool, then cover and chill until you need it, but don’t forget to bring it back to room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving. Drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of oil and garnish with the sprigs of fresh coriander.

This recipe first appeared in Sainsbury’s Magazine (July 2002).

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Oven Roasted Salmon with Potatoes, Beets, and Fennel

Source: yummy, yummy
Friday 7th September 2007, 12:35pm

Oven Roasted Salmon with Potatoes, Beets, and Fennel

1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, cut into wedges, about 3 large potatoes
3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Coarse salt and cracked black pepper
1 pound beets, tops removed, peeled, cut into wedges, about 3 large beets
1 large head fennel, sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices
1 pound salmon fillet
2 oranges, peeled and sliced horizontally
4 tablespoons tapenade vinaigrette, recipe follows
Tapenade, recipe follows
2 slices toast spread with 2 tablespoons tapenade, cut in 1/2

Place potatoes in a plastic bag with 1 teaspoon of olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss and shake to coat. Pour onto 1 side of a cookie sheet. Place beets in same bag, add 1 teaspoon of olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss and shake to coat. Pour onto same cookie sheet as potatoes, but keep divided. Place fennel in same bag with remaining teaspoon of olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss and shake to coat. Place in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Cook all vegetables, turning once until golden and cooked through, about 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside.

Place salmon, skin side down, in a non-stick pan with an oven-proof handle and season with salt and pepper. Place in oven and cook until fork tender and cooked through, about 15 to 17 minutes.

Distribute orange slices among serving plates. Distribute potatoes, beets and fennel. Divide salmon into four pieces. Place one piece on each plate. Drizzle one tablespoon tapenade vinaigrette per plate over salmon and veggies.

Tapenade Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup tapenade, recipe follows
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Whisk together all ingredients in a small non-reactive bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Tapenade:
2 cups pitted nicoise olives
2 anchovies
4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed

Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped and combined. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.

Recipe courtesy Kathleen Daelemans

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Preserved Ginger Cake with Lemon Icing

Source: yummy, yummy
Thursday 6th September 2007, 10:45am

In all my years of cooking, this is, quite simply, my favourite cake. It's simple but absolute heaven. The spiciness of the ginger within the moist cake, coupled with the sharpness of the lemon icing, is such that it never fails to please all who eat

Ingredients

5 pieces preserved stem ginger in syrup, chopped
2 tablespoons ginger syrup (from jar of stem ginger in syrup)
1 heaped teaspoon ground ginger
1 heaped teaspoon grated fresh root ginger
6 oz (175 g) butter, at room temperature, plus a little extra for greasing
6 oz (175 g) golden caster sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon molasses syrup
8 oz (225 g) self-raising flour
1 level tablespoon ground almonds
2 tablespoons milk

For the icing:

juice 1 lemon
8 oz (225 g) unrefined golden icing sugar
2 extra pieces preserved stem ginger in syrup

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 3, 325°F (170°C).

You will also need a non-stick cake tin measuring 6 x 10 inches (15 x 25.5 cm), 1 inch (2.5 cm) deep, and some silicone paper (parchment) measuring 10 x 14 inches (25.5 x 35 cm).

First prepare the cake tin by greasing it lightly and lining it with the silicone paper: press it into the tin, folding the corners in to make it fit neatly. The paper should come up 1 inch (2.5 cm) above the edge.

To make the cake, take a large mixing bowl and cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Next break the eggs into a jug and beat them with a fork until fluffy, then gradually beat them into the mixture, a little at a time, until all the egg is incorporated. Next fold in the ginger syrup and molasses; the best way to add the molasses is to lightly grease a tablespoon, then take a tablespoon of molasses and just push it off the spoon with a rubber spatula into the mixture. Now sift the flour and ground ginger on to a plate, then gradually fold these in, about a tablespoon at a time. Next fold in the almonds, followed by the milk, and lastly the grated root ginger and pieces of stem ginger. Now spread the cake mixture evenly in the cake tin, then bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 45-50 minutes, or until the cake is risen, springy and firm to touch in the centre. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn it out on to a wire rack and make sure it is absolutely cold before you attempt to ice it.

For the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and mix with enough of the lemon juice to make the consistency of thick cream – you might not need all the lemon juice. Now spread the icing over the top of the cake, and don't worry if it dribbles down the sides in places, as this looks quite attractive. Cut the remaining ginger into 15 chunks and place these in lines across the cake so that when you cut it you will have 15 squares, each with a piece of ginger in the centre. It's absolute heaven. If you'd like one or two of these cakes tucked away for a rainy day, they freeze beautifully – simply defrost and put the icing on half an hour before serving.

This recipe is taken from How to Cook Book Two. It has also appeared in Sainsbury's Magazine (April 1994).

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