Translate

Monday 29 September 2014

Chicken, Leek and Tarragon Pie.




I used skinless chicken breast for this but you can use any cut you like.
Cut the chicken into bite size chunks and colour in a sauce pan. add the chopped leeks and sweat for three to four mins.
Add chopped tarragon and a splash of white wine and simmer on a low heat.
I another saucepan melt a knob of butter - take off the heat and add two teaspoons of flour and stir in.
return to the heat and add a dash of milk stirring it in. Keep adding milk a bit at a time and stirring in.
After ten mins or so the sauce should thicken.
Add to the chicken and leeks and simmer until the chicken is cooked through.
Add to a pie dish and allow to cool - top with pastry of choice and brush with milk.
Place in an oven at  180 degrees for 35 to 40 mins or until the pastry has cooked.


Sunday 28 September 2014

Cauliflower Cheese.

Place your cauliflower (cut up if not using baby caulis) in a pan of salted boiling water and cook for 10-15 mins or until just tender - be careful not to over cook as it will be cooked for a second time in the oven.
Melt a good knob of butter in a saucepan and remove from the heat.
Stir in plain flour and add a little milk and return to the heat adding more milk a little at a time, constantly stirring.
When the sauce has thickened add cheese - I used Lincolnshire Poacher but any good quality English hard / cheddar like cheese will suffice.
Remove from the heat and keep stirring until the cheese has melted, then stir in a teaspoon or two of mustard and a grating of nutmeg.
Place your cauliflower in to an oven proof dish and pour the sauce over and place in an oven at 180 degrees for twenty minutes or so.
You can also place under the grill for a further five mins to give it more colour if you wish.

Thursday 25 September 2014

Lamb and Cous-Cous Salad with Pomegranate.

A nice and easy salad made from leftover lamb.
Add your couscous to a bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave for 20mins or so season well and fluff up with a fork.
Finely slice a spring onion or two and leave to soak in lemon juice for ten or fifteen mins.
Add the spring onion, lemon juice, plenty of shredded parsley and mint, pieces of left over lamb to the couscous and mix thoroughly.
Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Serve scattered with pomegranate seeds.

Wednesday 24 September 2014

Barnsley Chop with Parsley and Roasted Parsnip.



A Barnsley Chop is a double sided chop taken from across the loin. It's sometimes referred to as a saddle chop, and is thought to have originated at the Brooklands hotel in Barnsley though the Kings Head pub also lays claim to it!
Season the chop with salt and pepper and a little oil rubbing in the seasoning, drizzle over a little lemon juice and leave, covered,  to come up to room temperature before cooking.
Meanwhile prepare your parsnips by peeling and slicing length ways ( I also used carrots).
Roll in oil and seasoning and put in the oven at 180 degrees to roast tossing occasionally.
When the veg is ready heat an oven proof pan with a little oil.
Add the chop and cook for a few minutes on one side, turn the chop and transfer to the oven for 7-10mins depending on the thickness and how you like it cooked.
Remove the pan and put the chop somewhere warm and covered with foil to rest.
Return the pan to the hob add a little butter. when it has melted add a half a small cup of water to deglaze the pan.
Reduce to a sauce take of the heat and add freshly chopped parsley.
Serve with the veg and the sauce poured over the chop.

Sunday 7 September 2014

Gazpacho.



Chop up approx eight tomatoes, 3/4 of a cucumber, a green pepper and blitz in a blender.
Place three peeled garlic cloves in a mortar and pestle with a little salt and reduce to a paste. Add this to the blender and blitz again.
Sieve the mixture and discard the pulp and seeds.
Add three tablespoons of olive oil, a tablespoon of sherry vinegar and a small hand full of bread crumbs or a slice of semi-stale white bread, crust removed, torn up into pieces.
Season and add a couple of ice cubes and leave to stand in the fridge for a couple of hours.
Serve with some diced cumber on top.