I hope that this post doesn't come out as disjointed or non-sensical, because instead of devoting my full attention to it I am attempting to multi-task while watching a guilty pleasure of mine but I really wanted to get this out and down 'on paper' so to speak.
It's been a little while since I've been on this blog due to procrastination, and the only way to get going, is to get going! I hope you've tried out and enjoyed the Stuffed Capsicums and now another one I love to make is the Stuffed Zucchini. Marty actually showed me how to add maximum flavour to this dish and not only whip up something healthy, but filling and delicious. I often find that the healthy food we're expected to eat can be so devoid of flavour, due to the fact that we're over-exposed to added sugar and salt. I do believe that a limited amount of salt can be added into the diet as long as it is a flaky sea salt and iodised because then you have most beneficial type, but instead of over-seasoning, adding fresh or even sometimes dried herbs can boost the flavours in a dish remarkably. I'm looking forward to the the warmer weather to replant and develop the herb garden for this very reason.
Now this recipe is so simply you'll be whipping it up weekly. I find that the filling is enough for 2, but if I make the extra I just pop it in the fridge for lunch the next day. This is another great recipe to adapt for vegetarians!
What you'll need:
A zucchini (courgette) per person
Filling:
A carrot, chopped or grated
Small can of corn
Garlic
Onion
Tomato paste
Choice of tuna. chicken or kidney beans
Hollow out the zucchini. Cook the protein with the onion and garlic. Add the carrot and corn and the insides of the zucchini, and then mash or mix in some tomato paste to taste and then stuff the mixture into the hollowed out zucchini. If you'd like to grate some cheese over the top, otherwise pop into the oven for 10 minutes then eat!
It really is as simple as that. Sometimes I add some fresh time, and parsley is delicious too. You can add in some chili, or Mexican spices and that would work beautifully.
After 10 minutes at 190 deg, it should all be soft and ready to eat. I like my carrots diced and still a little crunchy, so I tend to cook the chicken for as long as I can in the pan to make sure it is completely done, and I dice it up really small.
Enjoy this easy meal and I look forward to hearing what you think! Also decided halfway through this, not to watch TV anymore so I should have made sense!
See ya
xoxo
Monday, July 25, 2011
Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Stuffed Capsicums...another healthy alternative!
Today, I have been practising the fine art of procrastination. you know those days, you start off with a great big list, you hurtle through all the easy stuff and finally you're left with the bits and pieces you either didn't really want to do, think may take a long time, or are just not quite as much fun as playing endless games of Solitaire, or Spider Solitaire, or Hearts, or Mahjong. And this is the point I've got to today, and after realising how long it's been since I've blogged at all, and that I have piles of photos to upload from my camera too, I have decided to do something about it! Easier said than done let me tell you.
What I wanted to share with you today is a little recipe that's fast becoming a favourite, and to top off is deliciously healthy, and even suitable for the veggies out there. It's a recipe my trainer has given me for Stuffed Capsicums and is as easy as it is tasty. The recipe is 1 portion, but obviously that can be made for as many people as possible. What I will say is you don't need to double the recipe for 2, triple it for 3, etc as it a large recipe to begin with. I double it for 3 serves, or just make sure the capsicums are large enough to accommodate all the veg.
This version is gluten free as well, double whammy people!!
So, what you'll need:
1 Capsicum
1 Zucchini (courgette), grated
1 Carrot, grated
1 Yellow squash (patty pan/scallopino depending on where you come from!), grated
1 onion chopped up
garlic clove
Protein of your choice
And what you do:
Mix the grated up ingredients in bowl, season if you feel like it. I don't normally. In a pan, heat a little oil, or use a non-stick frying pan and brown the onions with the garlic. Now, you can chop up the clove, or leave whole and remove later, depending on how much garlic flavour you want. If you're adding a protein the next step is applicable to you - when I'm adding chicken to this dish, I chop it up and cook it with the onions in the pan, if I'm having fish or beef or even a lamb chop with it, I keep that separate. Once those onions are a little brown and soft, add your grated ingredients, mix it up then take off heat.
With your capsicums, cut them in half, take out the pips and bits, and then stuff your mixture into them. You're going to put these into an ovenproof dish and into the oven for about 25-30mins on 180-200 deg.
Once cooked, serve. As I said this does roughly one large size capsicum, and you really don't need anything else with it, but you could serve it with a salad or some brown rice maybe! You could even halve the recipe to be used as a side dish, keep as is for a side dish for 2, or double for a side dish for 4. You get the picture.
Anyone else got a healthy recipe they'd like to share? Email it to me so we can give it a go, and I'll let you know how it went.
Ciao
xoxo
What I wanted to share with you today is a little recipe that's fast becoming a favourite, and to top off is deliciously healthy, and even suitable for the veggies out there. It's a recipe my trainer has given me for Stuffed Capsicums and is as easy as it is tasty. The recipe is 1 portion, but obviously that can be made for as many people as possible. What I will say is you don't need to double the recipe for 2, triple it for 3, etc as it a large recipe to begin with. I double it for 3 serves, or just make sure the capsicums are large enough to accommodate all the veg.
This version is gluten free as well, double whammy people!!
So, what you'll need:
1 Capsicum
1 Zucchini (courgette), grated
1 Carrot, grated
1 Yellow squash (patty pan/scallopino depending on where you come from!), grated
1 onion chopped up
garlic clove
Protein of your choice
And what you do:
Mix the grated up ingredients in bowl, season if you feel like it. I don't normally. In a pan, heat a little oil, or use a non-stick frying pan and brown the onions with the garlic. Now, you can chop up the clove, or leave whole and remove later, depending on how much garlic flavour you want. If you're adding a protein the next step is applicable to you - when I'm adding chicken to this dish, I chop it up and cook it with the onions in the pan, if I'm having fish or beef or even a lamb chop with it, I keep that separate. Once those onions are a little brown and soft, add your grated ingredients, mix it up then take off heat.
With your capsicums, cut them in half, take out the pips and bits, and then stuff your mixture into them. You're going to put these into an ovenproof dish and into the oven for about 25-30mins on 180-200 deg.
Once cooked, serve. As I said this does roughly one large size capsicum, and you really don't need anything else with it, but you could serve it with a salad or some brown rice maybe! You could even halve the recipe to be used as a side dish, keep as is for a side dish for 2, or double for a side dish for 4. You get the picture.
Anyone else got a healthy recipe they'd like to share? Email it to me so we can give it a go, and I'll let you know how it went.
Ciao
xoxo
Thursday, June 09, 2011
A Healthy digression...
It's certainly been a while since I've put fingers to keyboard, and there have certainly been some culinary developments chez moi, but alas no Jamie recipes have been cooked. The main reason for that is this particular foodie has embarked on a period of delayed gratification and is opting for a healthier menu for a little while. That's not to say there haven't been some very interesting recipes, and there will definitely be more to come, and Jamie should be back in about November/December time. No doubt he'll have a new book out by then we can sink our teeth into as well!
The chef has traded in his cream and butter for healthier alternatives with great success. So much flavour can come from things as simple as fresh herbs, garlic, lemons and chillies, without piling on the additional calories. We have been developing some really healthy and tasty recipes that I would love to share with you, and I certainly will, but firstly I have to tell you about my delicious Chicken, Corn and Celery Soup. It was a collaborative effort, with Marty adding his 2 cents worth of handy hints and me making it up as I went along. I developed a very vague recipe and used a little intuition that I've picked up since I've been blogging along! As it is winter and the weather is getting decidedly chilly, a good chicken soup is always a comfort. This one is not only tasty, but also very healthy and pretty simple to do. I'd say the recipe could comfortably feed 4, and if you're partaking in smaller portions, more like 5!
The ingredients:
2 free range chicken breasts.
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
1 onion
couple of garlic cloves, peeled
3 bay leaves (dried is fine)
1 can corn kernels
1lt veggie stock
The method:
1. The first thing you want to do is poach the chicken. When questioned about the difference between poaching and boiling, Marty explained that poaching is a slower simmer as opposed to a full boil. I popped the chicken in a pot with the garlic cloves and the bay leaves, and enough stock to cover it all and a little extra water on top of that.
2. Meanwhile, in my large pot I made up my mirepoix. Remember that from last post? If you don't, you dice the carrots, celery and onion and slowly saute that. That's going to create a lot of the flavour base. To keep the calorie count down I used a little olive oil spray on the bottom of the pot so that it didn't stick.
3. When the chicken has poached, remove it from the stock and let it cool a little. Keep the stock as you will add that to the veggies. Once that chicken has cooled enough to touch shred it.
4. Add your can or corn kernels to the large pot - I added liquid and all - followed by the chicken and give it all a good stir around.
5. Finally add the stock from the chicken pot and whatever's left of the litre and then more water if you want. I add about 500ml - 1lt extra water because I wanted a bit more broth.
6. The neither pop it into an over on 170 or leave on the stove top at a medium heat to simmer and cook away. I think it took about 30-40min.
And serve as is, or with some bread. This was a great filling meal all on it's own, and once it had cooled I portioned off 3 serves to be frozen for a lunch and a couple of dinners, and had a bowl left for Marty when he got home. If like me you're only cooking for 1 or 2 people, don't halve the recipe, just freeze some for easy dinners when you can't be bothered cooking.
I hope you enjoy it!
Ciao,
xoxo
The chef has traded in his cream and butter for healthier alternatives with great success. So much flavour can come from things as simple as fresh herbs, garlic, lemons and chillies, without piling on the additional calories. We have been developing some really healthy and tasty recipes that I would love to share with you, and I certainly will, but firstly I have to tell you about my delicious Chicken, Corn and Celery Soup. It was a collaborative effort, with Marty adding his 2 cents worth of handy hints and me making it up as I went along. I developed a very vague recipe and used a little intuition that I've picked up since I've been blogging along! As it is winter and the weather is getting decidedly chilly, a good chicken soup is always a comfort. This one is not only tasty, but also very healthy and pretty simple to do. I'd say the recipe could comfortably feed 4, and if you're partaking in smaller portions, more like 5!
The ingredients:
2 free range chicken breasts.
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
1 onion
couple of garlic cloves, peeled
3 bay leaves (dried is fine)
1 can corn kernels
1lt veggie stock
The method:
1. The first thing you want to do is poach the chicken. When questioned about the difference between poaching and boiling, Marty explained that poaching is a slower simmer as opposed to a full boil. I popped the chicken in a pot with the garlic cloves and the bay leaves, and enough stock to cover it all and a little extra water on top of that.
2. Meanwhile, in my large pot I made up my mirepoix. Remember that from last post? If you don't, you dice the carrots, celery and onion and slowly saute that. That's going to create a lot of the flavour base. To keep the calorie count down I used a little olive oil spray on the bottom of the pot so that it didn't stick.
3. When the chicken has poached, remove it from the stock and let it cool a little. Keep the stock as you will add that to the veggies. Once that chicken has cooled enough to touch shred it.
4. Add your can or corn kernels to the large pot - I added liquid and all - followed by the chicken and give it all a good stir around.
5. Finally add the stock from the chicken pot and whatever's left of the litre and then more water if you want. I add about 500ml - 1lt extra water because I wanted a bit more broth.
6. The neither pop it into an over on 170 or leave on the stove top at a medium heat to simmer and cook away. I think it took about 30-40min.
And serve as is, or with some bread. This was a great filling meal all on it's own, and once it had cooled I portioned off 3 serves to be frozen for a lunch and a couple of dinners, and had a bowl left for Marty when he got home. If like me you're only cooking for 1 or 2 people, don't halve the recipe, just freeze some for easy dinners when you can't be bothered cooking.
I hope you enjoy it!
Ciao,
xoxo
Friday, May 20, 2011
Dinner Party? A cheat's guide to making it easier.
Well, winter has set in, and this dynamic duo have gone into a little bit of a hibernation period. What with a warm house and great recipes to try, it really doesn't seem that bad! However, I decided to have some friends around for dinner this coming Saturday night, and as the chef will be cooking for the patrons of his place of employ, the cooking was to be left up to yours truly. As there are about 5 people coming over, and this is not an episode of Come dine with me, I wanted to be prepared, not stuck in a kitchen, and certainly not getting stressed out.
I decided on Lasagne, Italian salad, garlic bread and Apple Crumble for dessert. Lasagne because I can kinda make that, with some help, salad and garlic bread - 'nuff said, and Apple Crumble, because that is a tried and true dessert I can do! So what's cheating you ask, besides potentially buying the garlic bread - which I'm not- and getting a ready-made salad - which is almost true? I made the lasagne with Marty on Monday and was given a basic tutorial in the finer points of cooking, froze it, and will defrost it on Friday to pop in the oven Saturday. Here's hoping it tastes delicious, that it has the right balance of sauce, but isn't too dry or runny, and the gorgeous flavours we worked on are all there!
To the first step of making this relatively easy Italian meal. The most important part and most essential ingredient is flavour. Now, I remember when my mom would make Spag Bol, and chops up the onions, carrots, garlic, and then add some bacon to it. She may have used celery too - correct me if I"m wrong mom! And now, I'm standing in the kitchen being instructed to dice some carrots, while the chef deals with the onions and celery. We're making a mirepoix (mirror-pwa), not just randomly chopping up veggies. This is the basis to stocks, meat dishes if you add bacon to it too, soups ans stews. But first, we popped some oil into the pot, brought it to a medium heat, added a couple of garlic cloves - a side note was we actually added some of our garlic-infused oil - some basil leaves, and thyme. Once this was all mixed through we added the onions and began to saute, then the onions and celery. This was cooked so that it was starting to soften, but not colour too much, and then removed so that the mince could be cooked off. This time we just used our garlic oil, which was delicious and easy to do and tasted delicious. Marty cooked the meat off in sections, added the mirepoix to it when done and then in with some tomato sauce (again we've used the Five Brothers Summer Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce) and stock. Left to bubble along while the white sauce was made.
Now the white sauce was the main reason for Marty's help as it's not something I've ever really known how to make and the 1 or 2 times it's been attempted have been disastrous. I'm not going to get into to as it's probably another discussion for another time, and really needs a demo!
Layer the lasagne, cooked for 30-40min at 180deg, and then leave to cool then freeze, if you're doing my cheat and cooking your main earlier than the party! So know, the night before all I need to do is take it out the freezer, prepare my garlic bread and cook up my apples if there's time.
On the Saturday - as I'll be working till 6pm - all that needs to happen is the table can be set, lasagne and garlic bread in the oven, salad tossed and crumble assembled to go into the oven. And a large glass of red wine poured. That sounds a lot easier then slaving away in a kitchen all day! Hopefully everyone enjoys it.
I used the mirepoix again this week to cook up a delicious Beef and Veg soup, and the flavours were lovely. Again I used the garlic oil and it gave a very subtle garlic taste without the fear of chomping into a great big clove of garlic. It is actually a French culinary term from the 18th century that was named after a Duc de Mirepoix, a region in Languedoc. This method had been used well before that, and in Italian it is known as soffritto.
Au Revoir
xoxo
I decided on Lasagne, Italian salad, garlic bread and Apple Crumble for dessert. Lasagne because I can kinda make that, with some help, salad and garlic bread - 'nuff said, and Apple Crumble, because that is a tried and true dessert I can do! So what's cheating you ask, besides potentially buying the garlic bread - which I'm not- and getting a ready-made salad - which is almost true? I made the lasagne with Marty on Monday and was given a basic tutorial in the finer points of cooking, froze it, and will defrost it on Friday to pop in the oven Saturday. Here's hoping it tastes delicious, that it has the right balance of sauce, but isn't too dry or runny, and the gorgeous flavours we worked on are all there!
To the first step of making this relatively easy Italian meal. The most important part and most essential ingredient is flavour. Now, I remember when my mom would make Spag Bol, and chops up the onions, carrots, garlic, and then add some bacon to it. She may have used celery too - correct me if I"m wrong mom! And now, I'm standing in the kitchen being instructed to dice some carrots, while the chef deals with the onions and celery. We're making a mirepoix (mirror-pwa), not just randomly chopping up veggies. This is the basis to stocks, meat dishes if you add bacon to it too, soups ans stews. But first, we popped some oil into the pot, brought it to a medium heat, added a couple of garlic cloves - a side note was we actually added some of our garlic-infused oil - some basil leaves, and thyme. Once this was all mixed through we added the onions and began to saute, then the onions and celery. This was cooked so that it was starting to soften, but not colour too much, and then removed so that the mince could be cooked off. This time we just used our garlic oil, which was delicious and easy to do and tasted delicious. Marty cooked the meat off in sections, added the mirepoix to it when done and then in with some tomato sauce (again we've used the Five Brothers Summer Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce) and stock. Left to bubble along while the white sauce was made.
Now the white sauce was the main reason for Marty's help as it's not something I've ever really known how to make and the 1 or 2 times it's been attempted have been disastrous. I'm not going to get into to as it's probably another discussion for another time, and really needs a demo!
Layer the lasagne, cooked for 30-40min at 180deg, and then leave to cool then freeze, if you're doing my cheat and cooking your main earlier than the party! So know, the night before all I need to do is take it out the freezer, prepare my garlic bread and cook up my apples if there's time.
On the Saturday - as I'll be working till 6pm - all that needs to happen is the table can be set, lasagne and garlic bread in the oven, salad tossed and crumble assembled to go into the oven. And a large glass of red wine poured. That sounds a lot easier then slaving away in a kitchen all day! Hopefully everyone enjoys it.
I used the mirepoix again this week to cook up a delicious Beef and Veg soup, and the flavours were lovely. Again I used the garlic oil and it gave a very subtle garlic taste without the fear of chomping into a great big clove of garlic. It is actually a French culinary term from the 18th century that was named after a Duc de Mirepoix, a region in Languedoc. This method had been used well before that, and in Italian it is known as soffritto.
Au Revoir
xoxo
Monday, May 02, 2011
Some really useful tools.
So, Masterchef Australia started again last night, and after my boycott on Season 2, I feel like I can watch Season 3 without wanting to smack George Calombaris' moving hands and telling Matt Preston to stop being an idiot. Gary is still my favourite! I'm also hoping we don't have to see much of Donna Hay. She bugs me. I digress.
Marty's making a chicken pie tonight and not really in the mood to teach, maybe he wants to keep his secret sauce, a secret; so we had a discussion about the most useful and necessary implements in our kitchen.
The Top 5 must haves in the kitchen according to us are, and in no particular order:
1. A good knife
2. A good pot - a Le Creuset casserole pot. Cast iron that stands the test of time, has a lifetime guarantee and can be used in the oven and on top.
3. A big, solid chopping board
4. A good pan - a great non-stick and also one that can go into the oven. This may mean you have to have 2. The funniest story about ours is that our 2 most used pans ever are a Le Creuset grill pan that was a wedding present, and a flat large pan that can be used in the oven and on top, that my mom was throwing out and passed on to me with the '2nds' when setting up our house. So mom - that pan has stood the test of time and is still being used daily. I am truly the queen of the 1 pan wonder!
5. A couple of good wooden spoons!
Our Top 5 ingredients, in order:
1. Olive oil - we often by the big canister on special and have a beautiful bottle that we keep it in. I even use an olive oil spray if I'm needing to fry something to keep it healthy.
2. Iodised flaky sea salt and cracked pepper. I don't think I can emphasise the importance of this type of salt. When you use flaky sea salt, and it really should be iodised for the various health benefits, you use less salt generally because you get a better flavour, and it's better for you. It's marginally more expensive but a box of it lasts us over a month, if not more. You will notice the difference. A certain amount of salt is required in our diets, and when you season correctly you use less sauces and additives that have hidden calories and preservatives in them.
3. Garlic
4. Lemons
5. Fresh herbs
And some other things you might need and like -
A good peeler - don't laugh, but Tupperware's is the bomb!
Mixing bowls
A food processor with blender
All the above make up a basic kitchen and there is so much that can be added. I love my servingware and glassware and will happily say that I'm a little addicted to the purchase of said -wares. So I think I have a fair array of bowls and plates, and will continue to add to it I'm sure. We also have a fabulous selection of knives and utensils, dried spices and a small fresh herb garden, and our slowly expanding oils and preserves. It all makes for an interesting kitchen and I hope you can use some of this information!
Happy cooking
xoxo
Marty's making a chicken pie tonight and not really in the mood to teach, maybe he wants to keep his secret sauce, a secret; so we had a discussion about the most useful and necessary implements in our kitchen.
The Top 5 must haves in the kitchen according to us are, and in no particular order:
1. A good knife
2. A good pot - a Le Creuset casserole pot. Cast iron that stands the test of time, has a lifetime guarantee and can be used in the oven and on top.
3. A big, solid chopping board
4. A good pan - a great non-stick and also one that can go into the oven. This may mean you have to have 2. The funniest story about ours is that our 2 most used pans ever are a Le Creuset grill pan that was a wedding present, and a flat large pan that can be used in the oven and on top, that my mom was throwing out and passed on to me with the '2nds' when setting up our house. So mom - that pan has stood the test of time and is still being used daily. I am truly the queen of the 1 pan wonder!
5. A couple of good wooden spoons!
Our Top 5 ingredients, in order:
1. Olive oil - we often by the big canister on special and have a beautiful bottle that we keep it in. I even use an olive oil spray if I'm needing to fry something to keep it healthy.
2. Iodised flaky sea salt and cracked pepper. I don't think I can emphasise the importance of this type of salt. When you use flaky sea salt, and it really should be iodised for the various health benefits, you use less salt generally because you get a better flavour, and it's better for you. It's marginally more expensive but a box of it lasts us over a month, if not more. You will notice the difference. A certain amount of salt is required in our diets, and when you season correctly you use less sauces and additives that have hidden calories and preservatives in them.
3. Garlic
4. Lemons
5. Fresh herbs
And some other things you might need and like -
A good peeler - don't laugh, but Tupperware's is the bomb!
Mixing bowls
A food processor with blender
All the above make up a basic kitchen and there is so much that can be added. I love my servingware and glassware and will happily say that I'm a little addicted to the purchase of said -wares. So I think I have a fair array of bowls and plates, and will continue to add to it I'm sure. We also have a fabulous selection of knives and utensils, dried spices and a small fresh herb garden, and our slowly expanding oils and preserves. It all makes for an interesting kitchen and I hope you can use some of this information!
Happy cooking
xoxo
"Everyone should know how to make a good stew!" - Chef Marty
Quote from the chef! He was certainly feeling proud of himself last night, because it definitely was a good stew. Sunday, 1st of May in Melbourne was a chilly one after the truly beautiful autumn week we had. The skies clouded over and threatened to rain for most of the afternoon, until the heavens finally made that commitment and opened. We had done our groceries by this stage, and a stew was already on the cards accompanied by DVDs and a warm blankie.
And so chef Marty decided it would a teaching kitchen, and armed with a glass of red, I attempted to take notes. This is the reason for the hasty blog, as I am more than likely to forget the pearls of wisdom if they are not recorded quick smart.
"The secret to a great stew - is about sealing the meat and getting the flavour right up front"- Martin Haines.
There are a number of vessels for this stew - a slow cooker for those who want to put it on in the morning before work, a casserole pot that can go on the stove top to be slowly cooked, or the easiest and most popular - a good casserole pot that you can seal off everything in,and pop in the oven for a couple of hours on a lower heat. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it but our favourite kitchen item is definitely our amazing Le Creuset casserole pot. There is nothing quite like it for quality and value. A lifetime guarantee on the cast iron pot, and the ability to use it for just about anything. My mom certainly had a casserole pot that was used for so many dishes, that I made sure I had one of my own!
Right, let's make a stew! Firstly, you want to chop up your carrots, celery, leek, mushrooms and onion. A lug of olive oil into the pot and heat that up to a medium heat, and your garlic cloves (whole, peeled, slightly squished) and thyme can be added to that. Then add that chopped up veg and saute that off. So that means you want to cook it off lightly and get a little bit of colour going and those veg slightly softened.
Once that's been done, remove from the pot and pop aside. Now here's where things are different from what I've always known, and if you do your meat first, I recommend you try it this way and see the amazing difference if flavour - if you do - and if you don't let me know!
Once that veg has been removed, a little more olive oil in the pot and you want to add the meat. We used beef osso bucco, but gravy beef, blade steak, any cheaper cut of meat is great. This is a cost-effective dinner and because of the slow-cooking, you don't need expensive meat, it's actually better with cheaper cuts! And the secret he was talking about is now - seal that meat off with some seasoning. And not just a light colouring. You really want to get that meat cooked and coloured. It was easily a good 5 minutes of cooking. Once that meat is sealed, add a couple of large pinches of flour, a little salt and then your sauteed veg. And cook these all up together for a little. Using your wooden spoon, scrape the bottom of the pot to get all that flavour mixed through the stew. Add your stock - another good stew secret is decent stock. You can make your own, use it from previous stews that you've frozen, or we use Campbell's Salt Reduced Beef/Chicken/Veg whichever is appropriate. Add enough to cover the base and mix it through, then add some but keep stirring everything together and add a little more to cover. The longer you want to cook it the more stock you need to use because that will cook down and caramelise and flavour everything. We cooked the stew at 160 for a couple of hours so we added 3/4 of a box of Campbell's (1lt).
Preheat the oven to 200, and then put it down to 160 when you're about to put the pot in. Also get the stew bubbling on the stove top before it goes in the oven so that it's cooking away before you pop it in.
And that is that. Serve with some mash potatoes and green beans, or some brown rice - YUM! There is really nothing I love more than winter food and beautiful warming stews! I think I'm about to get another tutorial in making chicken pie tonight, so I'd better fill up that wine glass and get a pencil. There will be more Jamie in the next few weeks - I'm working on persuading chef extraordinaire
into making the duck confit from the French section!
Looking forward to hearing how the stews have gone!
Ciao
xoxo
And so chef Marty decided it would a teaching kitchen, and armed with a glass of red, I attempted to take notes. This is the reason for the hasty blog, as I am more than likely to forget the pearls of wisdom if they are not recorded quick smart.
"The secret to a great stew - is about sealing the meat and getting the flavour right up front"- Martin Haines.
There are a number of vessels for this stew - a slow cooker for those who want to put it on in the morning before work, a casserole pot that can go on the stove top to be slowly cooked, or the easiest and most popular - a good casserole pot that you can seal off everything in,and pop in the oven for a couple of hours on a lower heat. I'm not sure if I've mentioned it but our favourite kitchen item is definitely our amazing Le Creuset casserole pot. There is nothing quite like it for quality and value. A lifetime guarantee on the cast iron pot, and the ability to use it for just about anything. My mom certainly had a casserole pot that was used for so many dishes, that I made sure I had one of my own!
Right, let's make a stew! Firstly, you want to chop up your carrots, celery, leek, mushrooms and onion. A lug of olive oil into the pot and heat that up to a medium heat, and your garlic cloves (whole, peeled, slightly squished) and thyme can be added to that. Then add that chopped up veg and saute that off. So that means you want to cook it off lightly and get a little bit of colour going and those veg slightly softened.
Once that's been done, remove from the pot and pop aside. Now here's where things are different from what I've always known, and if you do your meat first, I recommend you try it this way and see the amazing difference if flavour - if you do - and if you don't let me know!
Once that veg has been removed, a little more olive oil in the pot and you want to add the meat. We used beef osso bucco, but gravy beef, blade steak, any cheaper cut of meat is great. This is a cost-effective dinner and because of the slow-cooking, you don't need expensive meat, it's actually better with cheaper cuts! And the secret he was talking about is now - seal that meat off with some seasoning. And not just a light colouring. You really want to get that meat cooked and coloured. It was easily a good 5 minutes of cooking. Once that meat is sealed, add a couple of large pinches of flour, a little salt and then your sauteed veg. And cook these all up together for a little. Using your wooden spoon, scrape the bottom of the pot to get all that flavour mixed through the stew. Add your stock - another good stew secret is decent stock. You can make your own, use it from previous stews that you've frozen, or we use Campbell's Salt Reduced Beef/Chicken/Veg whichever is appropriate. Add enough to cover the base and mix it through, then add some but keep stirring everything together and add a little more to cover. The longer you want to cook it the more stock you need to use because that will cook down and caramelise and flavour everything. We cooked the stew at 160 for a couple of hours so we added 3/4 of a box of Campbell's (1lt).
Preheat the oven to 200, and then put it down to 160 when you're about to put the pot in. Also get the stew bubbling on the stove top before it goes in the oven so that it's cooking away before you pop it in.
And that is that. Serve with some mash potatoes and green beans, or some brown rice - YUM! There is really nothing I love more than winter food and beautiful warming stews! I think I'm about to get another tutorial in making chicken pie tonight, so I'd better fill up that wine glass and get a pencil. There will be more Jamie in the next few weeks - I'm working on persuading chef extraordinaire
into making the duck confit from the French section!
Looking forward to hearing how the stews have gone!
Ciao
xoxo
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
What's for lunch on Easter?
So the loooonnnggg weekend has been and gone and our Easter Sunday lunch has been gobbled up, and I think I miss it a little! Can't wait to have everyone over again because this one was definitely a success! Our contributing partners were 6 friends and then us, and they supplied some pre-lunch nibbles, while the Chef was working his magic - a Butterflied lamb marinated in Spanish smoky paprika, garlic and lemon juice, and a Spatchcock chicken marinated in garlic and herbs. Both done to perfection on the Weber. The lamb was a little dry due to the fact that needed to be basted constantly, but I may have been the only 1 that felt this.
We served this with couscous and mash potatoes, a salad of mixed greens, and then cucumber and cherry tomatoes served separately. Lastly we had some homemade tzatiki and red cabbage mixed through with balsamic vinegar, spring onions and garlic. Quite a spread that went down pretty quickly!
I think made a gorgeous sorbet and it was super simple! Based on a Spanish cocktail, it was very easy to make up and delicious to eat.
So you'll need:
300g Castor sugar
300ml water
300ml Red wine - a Spanish wine like a Rioja, or a nice fruity Shiraz blend. This doesn't have to be fancy, a nice quaffable wine works best!
300ml fizzy lemonade
zest and juice of 1 lemon.
Dissolve the sugar in the water over a medium heat and then bring to a rapid boil for 5 to 7 minutes before the syrup starts to colour. Put aside to cool. Combine the wine, lemonade and lemon juice in a large jug and add the cooled syrup when it's ready. Give it a good stir and either put it into 1 deep freezer container to be used all at once, or divide it into smaller containers to be used at different times.
Pop in the freezer and give it a muss up with a fork every 15minutes for the 1st hour or so. When you're ready to serve it, put small quantities into a food processor to blend it up to be fluffy and smooth.
And you're done! We served this before dessert which was Gordon Ramsay's Dark Chocolate Torte served with pouring cream. This is in his Just Desserts book and was divine! Our oven runs a little hot so we'll take the temperature down next time, but otherwise it was lovely! Recipe to follow I promise!
Follow this and add to it with plenty of wine and some Easter choccies and it certainly was a fun day! Looking forward to thinking up our next dinner menu. I'm feeling French, classic and warm for these autumnal nights that are quickly turning to winter. Lamb shanks, Coq au Vin and delicious heart-warming meals here we come! I can't decide what I love most about winter - the clothes, the food or the red wine? Staying in with friends is definitely up there too.
Ciao
xoxo
We served this with couscous and mash potatoes, a salad of mixed greens, and then cucumber and cherry tomatoes served separately. Lastly we had some homemade tzatiki and red cabbage mixed through with balsamic vinegar, spring onions and garlic. Quite a spread that went down pretty quickly!
I think made a gorgeous sorbet and it was super simple! Based on a Spanish cocktail, it was very easy to make up and delicious to eat.
So you'll need:
300g Castor sugar
300ml water
300ml Red wine - a Spanish wine like a Rioja, or a nice fruity Shiraz blend. This doesn't have to be fancy, a nice quaffable wine works best!
300ml fizzy lemonade
zest and juice of 1 lemon.
Dissolve the sugar in the water over a medium heat and then bring to a rapid boil for 5 to 7 minutes before the syrup starts to colour. Put aside to cool. Combine the wine, lemonade and lemon juice in a large jug and add the cooled syrup when it's ready. Give it a good stir and either put it into 1 deep freezer container to be used all at once, or divide it into smaller containers to be used at different times.
Pop in the freezer and give it a muss up with a fork every 15minutes for the 1st hour or so. When you're ready to serve it, put small quantities into a food processor to blend it up to be fluffy and smooth.
And you're done! We served this before dessert which was Gordon Ramsay's Dark Chocolate Torte served with pouring cream. This is in his Just Desserts book and was divine! Our oven runs a little hot so we'll take the temperature down next time, but otherwise it was lovely! Recipe to follow I promise!
Follow this and add to it with plenty of wine and some Easter choccies and it certainly was a fun day! Looking forward to thinking up our next dinner menu. I'm feeling French, classic and warm for these autumnal nights that are quickly turning to winter. Lamb shanks, Coq au Vin and delicious heart-warming meals here we come! I can't decide what I love most about winter - the clothes, the food or the red wine? Staying in with friends is definitely up there too.
Ciao
xoxo
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