Homemade Chips

Homemade Chips – Serves 2

There aren’t many other foods that can hit the spot like chips can! Chips from the chip shop have to be one of my favourite lunches (Chip Butty!), however I like to think this recipe is a healthy alternative that still tastes great. You can serve these chips with literally anything; in particular they go well with my Moules Mariniere recipe found here. I love to crisp them up on one side to give the chips a bit of colour and texture.

Ingredients

• 1 potato, cut into chips (King Edwards are best)
• Olive oil
• Rosemary
• Herb de Provence

Method

Step 1
Preheat the oven to around 200C and prepare the chips. Start by peeling the chips, then cut the potatoes in half lengthways, and divide up into chips. Try and make sure the chips are all roughly the same size so that they cook reasonably equally.

Step 2
Using some kitchen roll, lightly oil a baking tray before adding the chips – this will prevent the chips sticking to the tray. Add a further glug of oil along with the rosemary, mixed herbs and seasoning to taste. Get in there with your hands and give it a good mix until all the herbs are mixed into the chips.

Step 3
Place the tray in the middle of the oven and cook the chips for 25 minutes or until golden. Make sure that you check the chips every 10 minutes to give them a quick mix – this ensures that they all cook equally and don’t burn. It’s definitely worth checking on a regular basis as depending on the size of your chips, the cooking time will vary. Serve the chips with some sea salt and a sauce of your choice!

Serving Suggestion
If you like things hot, why not add some cayenne pepper, chilli flakes or chilli oil to your chips to give them a bit of a kick!

Creamy Blue Cheese Linguine

Creamy Blue Cheese Linguine – Serves 2

 Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 100ml dry white wine
• 150g strong blue cheese, crumbled
• 150ml creme fraiche
• 160g dried linguine
• 100g green beans, trimmed
• 60g wild rocket

Method

Step 1
Heat the oil in a pan and saute the onion and garlic for around 5-6 minutes until the onion starts to soften.

Step 2
Add the white wine and simmer for 2 – 3 minutes until it has nearly all reduced.

Step 3
Stir in the cheese and creme fraiche into the onions and wine. Heat gently for around 2-3 minutes until the blue cheese has melted into the creme fraiche and the suace is warmed through. 

Step 4
Meanwhile, cook the linguine in a seperate pan for 4 minutes. Add the green beans to the pan and continue cooking until the green beans are cooked. Drain then return to the pan. 

Step 4
Add the rocket to the pasta and leave for 1 minute, or until the rocket has wilted. Now stir in the hot sauce and your ready to eat.

Serving Suggestion
Serve with plenty of black pepper and if you are a lover of blue cheese, crumble some extra blue cheese over the top!

Red Wine Risotto with Duck and Chestnut Mushrooms

Red Wine Risotto with Duck and Chestnut Mushrooms – Serves 2

I’ve always been fond of risotto’s, and when I saw this risotto in this months GoodFood magazine, I couldn’t resist giving it a go. I adapted the ingredients slightly to use a base risotto recipe that I’ve used in a previous post (Spinach & Prawn Risotto), but essentially it is the same.

This recipe is a great way to use up some of that extra duck (or any meat for that matter) from Christmas or your Sunday roast!

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• thyme sprig, leaves picked
• 160g risotto rice
• 160ml red wine
• 700ml chicken stock
• 120g shredded duck (or 2 duck legs, shredded)
• 120g mushrooms, thickly sliced
• Parsley, to garnish

Method

Step 1
Heat 2 tablespoons of butter and add the onion and carrot, and cook covered on a low heat for around ten minutes.

Step 2
Add 2/3 of the garlic to the pan and fry for a further minute before turning up the heat and adding the thyme and rice. Keep stiring the rice for a round a minute until the rice becomes translucent (almost see through), then add the wine csimmering until almost completely reduced.

Step 3
Now you need to add in your stock, so turn down the heat on the rice and add one ladle at a time, keeping the temperature at a simmer. Wait until the liquid has mainly evaporated, then add in another ladle – make sure that you continue to stir the rice, as this helps the rice absorb the flavour of the stock, and gives it that lovely sticky texture. Continue to add in ladles of hot stock for around 15 minutes, until the rice is almost cooked.

Step 4
Once the rice is cooked, scatter the shredded duck on top of the risotto and leave covered for 5 mins to heat the meat through.

Step 5
In a seperate pan fry the mushrooms with a little garlic and 1 tablespoon of butter, and once cooked, stir into the risotto.

Serving Suggestion
Serve the risotto with chopped parsley as a garnish and with a large glass of red wine!

Albondigas (Spanish Meatballs)

Albondigas (Spanish Meatballs) – Serves 4 as a tapas

Ingredients

• 500g lean minced beef (lamb is a good substitute)
• 1 egg
• 2 400g tins chopped tomatoes
• 2 beef stock cubes
• 1/2 small glass of red wine
• Herbs de Provence (or a good selection of mixed herbs)
• 1 onion, finely sliced
• 1 garlic clove, finely sliced

Method

Step 1
Mix the mince with the egg and half the onion. Season with 1 stock cube and black pepper.

Step 2
Roll the mixture with your hands into ping pong sized balls and fry in oil until almost cooked (the meatballs can still be slightly pink in middle as they are going to simmer in the sauce). Drain all but 1tbsp oil in the pan, retaining the bit’s of meat that are left in the bottom of the pan. Add the rest of the onions and some garlic and fry for a further 2 minutes – they should turn a beatiful meaty colour.

Step 3
Add the 2 tins of chopped tomatoes and a good sprinkling of mixed herbs (I used Herbs de Provence). Add in the red wine and crumble in the final stock cube, then season again if required.

Step 4
Simmer for 20 minutes so that the sauce thickens – longer if it requires it.

Serving Suggestion
This can be served on it’s own as part of a tapas meal, or you could serve these with spaghetti or some Spanish rice.

Puy Lentil & Vegetable Soup

Puy Lentil & Vegetable Soup – Serves 4

This recipe was taken from a cutting of a French magazine that my parents bought on their summer holiday in France this year. Puy lentils are a speciality of the Berry region where they live, so there is always a constant supply in my store cupboard!

Recently the weather here in London has been getting really cold – it even snowed a week or so ago, so I’ve definitely been in the mood for making some warming soups. This is a great vegetarian option that is really good for you, but if you do feel inclined to add some meat, a little crispy bacon or smoked ham would work a treat.

Ingredients

• 300g puy lentils
• 1 knob of butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, finely chopped (see picture)
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 450ml cold water
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp Herbs de Provence (mixed herbs)
• 1 potato, peeled and cut into 5mm cubes (see picture)
• 1 litre chicken stock (vegetable for a purely vegetarian meal)
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• Salt & pepper
• Chopped parsley, to garnish

Method

Step 1
Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the onion, garlic and carrot and cook gently for around 5 minutes.

Step 2
Add the puy lentils and the water, bring to boil then cover and simmer for ten minutes. Make sure that you stir the lentils regularly so they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan. If the water evaporates before the ten minutes has passed, add a little extra – don’t let the lentils dry out.

Step 3
Add the stock, potatoes, puree and bay leaves and bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover for 25-30 minutes. Once the lentils are done (the stock should have reduced and the lentils should be really tender), remove the bay leaves and serve with a little chopped parsley to garnish.

Adaptation
Why not try adding some cubed smoked ham at step 3, or stir in some crispy bacon at the end before serving.

Edameme Beans with Soy & Chilli

Edameme Beans with Soy & Chilli – Serves 2

Edamame beans are the perfect ‘healthy’ snack, and work well as either a side dish or an appetizer to most oriental meals. I managed to pick up a bag of frozen edamame at a Japanese store in Leicester Square – I’m sure that most oriental stores will sell them.

The most important thing to remember is that as this is a quick cook recipe, the flavour will not soak through the pods into the beans. The way to eat these is to squeeze the bean out from the pod with your teeth – this way you get the texture of the bean, as well as the salty but spicy sauce. I guarantee that everybody will love these, even children – just make sure they are not too spicy!

Ingredients

• 230g frozen edamame beans, in the pods
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (or to taste)
• 1tbsp ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• Oil, for frying
• Salt

Method

Step 1
First step is to cook the edamame beans in boiling, salted water for 6-7 minutes, or until you can squeeze the beans and they feel slightly tender (you can always taste one to check they are done). Drain and rinse under cold water, then set aside.

Step 2
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a frying pan and the chilli, garlic and ginger and cook quickly for a minute or so, ensuring that you constantly keep everything moving so nothing burns.

Step 3
Add the edamame beans and fry for a further 2 minutes, again keeping it all moving, and checking the seasoning of the beans. Should the sauce start to dry up, add a tiny bit more oil, but you want to try and make sure the sauce is clinging to the beans, as shown below.

Serving Suggestion
Remember to squeeze the beans out with your teeth, and remember that the outer pod is not edible! 

Ecuador Trip!

For the couple of days I have been in Ecuador on business so this post has been a long time coming. However the trip couldn’t have come at a better time, as I had been pondering which country to feature as part of my International Cuisine Series – the trip made my decision easy!

I stayed in Quito in La Mariscal region of the city, and despite being on business I managed to wangle a days sightseeing too. This gave me an opportunity to sample some of the fantastic food that they cook in Ecuador – the street food is particularly tasty! Ecuador is traditionally famous for it’s exotic fruits, vegetables and seafood dishes, although there is also an abundance of good quality steak available from Argentina. The drinks they serve are also fantastic – particularly the fresh fruit juices; my favourites were mora (blackberry juice), passion fruit and papaya, although I have to admit the Mojito’s were pretty good too!

I found a fantastic bookshop just around the corner from my hotel and came across an excellent book on Ecuadorian cooking – in particular there are some great soup, vegetable and seafood recipes which I will be sure to try, so keep checking back over the next couple of weeks!

Anyway, here are a few pictures from my trip – what an amazing place!

 The gardens of the Monastery of San Francisco Qutio’s Old Town

 

A view of Qutio from the top of the Teleferico

 

 and finally…. ensalada de frutas. This was just what I needed after a hard days sightseeing!

Pork Stroganoff

Pork Stroganoff Recipe – Serves 2

Pork stroganoff – everybody’s heard of it, most people have tasted it, so I thought it would be a perfect recipe to kick of my series of recipes from around the world. Stroganoff is of course a popular dish in many countries, but originates from Russia back in the 19th century and according to “Oxford Encyclopaedia of Food and Drink” was possibly named after Count Alexander Grigorievich Stroganov.

“Stroganoff” is very often cooked using beef; in fact beef is definitely the way to go if you want to stick with tradition, however I happened to have a nice piece of pork fillet in the fridge so I cooked with what I had. If your a vegetarian then feel free to omit the meat and just use mushrooms – try and get some different types of mushrooms as this will give you a better texture and taste. I’ve tasted a lot of bad stroganoff’s in my time – most were far too sickly, usually a result of using double cream. This recipe uses sour cream / creme fraiche so is healthier without losing any of it’s taste.

Ingredients

• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 50g chestnut mushrooms. sliced
• 50g shitake mushrooms, sliced
• 200g pork fillet, sliced into strips
• 1 knob of butter
• 3 tbsp brandy
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 150ml creme fraiche or sour cream
• Rice or pasta, to serve

Method

Before you start you want to season the pork strips – this is where the taste really happens so don’t rush this bit! Slice your pork up and place in a bowl; now sprinkle in the paprika, 1/2 of the cayenne pepper, and season (be generous with the cracked black pepper). Now mix this up with your hands and if you can, leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.

Heat the butter in a wok or frying pan and fry the onions and mushrooms on a medium heat until they are soft.  Turn up the heat and fry the pork strips for several minutes until cooked. Now the fun bit… Flambe! Pour in your brandy and then, using a match, carefully set fire to the brandy in the pan and burn off the alcohol. This looks great if you have guests round! Once the flame has died, stir in the mustard and your creme fraiche / sour cream and gently simmer. Taste the sauce and adjust the cayenne pepper to taste, seasoning if required – I like it to have a bit of a kick so I go crazy with the cayenne pepper!

I have always served stroganoff with brown rice, but I know a lot of people like stroganoff with tagliatelle and this is great too. A bit of rocket or some greenery such as brocoli really completes the dish in my opinion. Enjoy!

A few ideas for my blog….!

My blog has been up and running for a couple of weeks now and thought I would give you an update on a few of the ideas I have for the blog, and some of the recipes that I plan to post within the next couple of weeks.

The first idea is actually something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time, but never got around to doing it. Basically I love travelling, I love foreign food, and just love the whole experience of trying new things so I thought why not do this as a feature on my blog? I figure if it’s something I’m interested in then hopefully my readers will be too. Every month I am going to try cooking some fabulous international dishes, and give you, the readers, a step by step account of how it went! Some recipes will be from countries I’ve visited, others from other resources such as the library, books and the internet.

Take a look at my Moules Mariniere and Thai Green Curry for the first two entries as part of my ‘Cuisine by Country’ section  (See category drop down menu) – if you’ve not tried them yet then hopefully you should be in for a nice surprise!

On a separate note, I’ve already drawn up a list of over 35 recipes that I want to put on here – as and when I cook them I will post them up, hopefully with some photographs to illustrate. My next post will be a Beef Stroganoff so look out for that!

Homemade Scones

Homemade Scones recipe – makes 6 good sized scones

It was a beautiful day today in Crouch End so I decided to make some homemade scones to have out on the balcony… what a great idea it was! I never realised how easy it was to make scones; you can have these beauties on the table in less than 30 minutes. Unfortunately I didn’t have any buttermilk so I used standard semi-skimmed milk instead, but they still came out great. Make sure you eat them while they’re still slightly warm!

Ingredients

• 350g self-raising flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 85g butter
• 3 tbsp caster sugar
• 175ml milk (buttermilk if you can get it)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg, beaten
• Jam & clotted cream to serve

Method

First heat the oven to 220 C and place a baking tray in there so that it gets nice and hot. Place the self raising flour, baking powder, salt and butter into a large bowl and mix well with your hands until the mixture looks a bit like breadcrumbs.  Now stir in sugar and mix well. Add the vanilla extract together with the milk then pour into the bowl of flour – mix together with a fork until the mixture starts to come together, then dive in and finish off with your hands. The dough should be ready once it has a soft and smooth feel to it.  

Take the dough out of the bowl and place on a clean surface, dusting the dough and surface with flour first. Roll out the dough to a depth of around 1 inch (2.5 cm) – make sure that it is no less than this, measure it if you’re not sure! Take a 5cm cutter and plunge into the dough, giving the cutter a quick dust with flour, until you have 6 scones. Glaze the top of each scone with the beaten egg and place onto your pre heated baking tray and place in the oven for 12 minutes, checking after 10 minutes.  The scones should have a light texture and are best eaten very slightly warm. Serve them either with clotted cream & jam, or butter.

Over the next couple of weeks I will be posting many more of my favourite recipes so keep a look out. If you wish to contact me, then please do so at andrewsco at gmail dot com (to stop spam).