Archive for October, 2009
Mackerel recipe
Fresh mackerel is such a versatile fish to cook with: its rich and oily flesh can take all sorts of strong flavours, from ginger and garlic to curry spices. Here it is simply grilled with a good dollop of Thai red curry paste to liven up the rich flesh and turn a simple fish into a sumptuous feast.
This mackerel recipe makes a nutritious as well as delicious supper recipe. Oily fish is one of the things we should eat regularly for its omega-3 fatty acids and B vitamins. Served with a fresh salad a grilled mackerel gives you an incredibly healthy supper that tastes great.
Grilled Mackerel recipe with Thai spices
Ingredients for four
4 fresh mackerel (weighing about 300g / 10oz each)
2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
2 tablespoons coconut milk
1 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper
For the salad
1 cucumber
100g/ 3oz cherry tomatoes
2 sprigs mint
a few drops Thai fish sauce
a squeeze lime juice
1 lime
Rinse the fish under the cold tap then pat it dry. Make several diagonal slashes in the skin of the fish on each side.
In a bowl mix together the curry paste, sugar, salt and pepper and coconut milk. Spread the resulting paste over one side of each fish.
Grill the fish for about 5 minutes and then turn them, coat the other side with the rest of the curry paste mixture and grill for another 8-10 minutes until the skin is crackling and the fish cooked.
While the fish is cooking make the salad. Halve the tomatoes and slice the cucumbers. Mix together the lime juice fish sauce and mint and toss with the cucumber and tomato.
Serve the mackerel with a lime wedge and a serving of salad.
Note
Oily fish like mackerel should be eaten when really fresh to be enjoyed at their best. Avoid buying any fish that look dull or floppy. A fresh mackerel has a sparkling rainbow sheen to its skin and firm flesh.
Tempted by the idea of fresh fish, but it’s too late for the fishmonger to be open? Why not try the fresh fish dishes at Loch Fyne restaurant in Nottingham.
Fish and Chips recipe
Fish and chips is still Britain’s favourite take-away, cod in batter and crispy but slightly soggy chips wrapped in paper with a tang of malt vinegar beating off the rival burgers, curries and Chinese takeaways hands down. Even small town has a fish and chip shop and you are bound to have your own favourite chippie, so why bother to cook fish and chips at home?
Cooking your own fish and chips certainly isn’t a fast food option, but it does mean you can use a lighter batter, choose your own fresh fish from a guaranteed sustainable source and feed a family more cheaply than buying from a takeaway.
Use a floury potato variety, such as Maris Piper or King Edwards for your chips rather than a waxy one. You can cook them as oven chips rather than deep-frying them if you want to reduce the amount of fat you are using, but don’t expect them to be the same as deep-fried chips.
Recipe for Fish and Chips
Ingredients
For the fish
4 pieces of skinless haddock, hake or cod fillet (about 650g / 1 ½ lb)
50g / 2oz self-raising flour
50 g / 2 oz cornflour
1 egg white
125 ml sparkling water, ice-cold
600ml sunflower oil for frying (or the amount recommended for your deep-fryer)
1 lemon cut in wedges to serve
Recipe for the chips
800g / 2lbs floury potatoes, e.g. Maris Piper or King Edwards
Peel the potatoes and cut them into fairly thick chips. Rinse them under the cold tap then drain. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil then add the chips. Simmer gently until they are just cooked through but not broken up. Carefully remove the chips with a slotted spoon and drain on a wire rack. When cooled put them in the fridge to help dry them out some more.
If you are using one deep fat fryer or pan of oil you should preheat the oven, so that you can keep the fried chips hot while you are cooking the fish.
Heat the oil to 190C/375F to cook the chips. Put the chips in and cook for 10 minutes or so until golden brown. Drain the chips and put on a layer of kitchen paper into the preheated oven while you cook the fish.
Pat the fish fillets dry with kitchen paper. Dust with about 1 tablespoon of flour and shake off the excess. Bring the oil back up to 200C/400F.
Mix the flour and cornflour with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Whisk the egg white with a balloon whisk until frothy and full of bubbles but not stiff. Put the sparkling water onto the flour and mix briefly while whisking, but don’t worry about lumps. Add the egg white and whisk just enough to mix. You want to keep as many bubbles as you can for a light batter.
Dip two pieces of fish in the batter so they are coated, (or all the pieces if your fryer or pan is large enough to fit them all without being crowded) let the excess drip off and lower into the hot oil. Cook for about 5 or 6 minutes, turning half way, until the batter is crisp and golden. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen paper and keep warm in the oven while you repeat the process with the other two pieces of fish.
Serve with chips and a wedge of lemon.
Too much hassle to cook your own fish and chips? Try them at Shaws restaurant in Nottingham.
Carrot Soup recipe
A simple carrot soup with its sweet, earthy flavour and cheerful colour is great for winter lunches. Carrots are often the only vegetables that kids will eat, so this soup is also good for getting some nutrients into them with a few hidden extra veggies.
Carrot soup can also be spiced up for adults with a variety of extra flavours; it makes a perfect partnership with fresh and ground coriander, gets some extra kick from fresh ginger root and works well in combination with other vegetables like leeks and potatoes. Consider this as a basic carrot soup recipe and add in vegetables and spices that take your fancy or see suggestions for variations at the end.
Recipe for Carrot Soup
Ingredients
1 onion, sliced
450g / 1lb carrots, peeled and sliced
1 stick celery, chopped
25g / 1oz butter or 2 tablespoons oil
1.2 litres / 2pints vegetable stock
salt and pepper
parsley to garnish
Heat the oil or butter in a large pan and stir in the onions, celery and carrots. Cover the pan and cook the vegetables over a medium heat until they are starting to soften.
Season with salt and pepper and stir.
Add the stock and bring to the boil.
Turn the heat down and simmer until the vegetables are soft.
Liquidize in a food processor or blender to a smooth soup.
Taste to check for seasoning.
Serve garnished with chopped parsley.
Variations
Carrot and Coriander soup: add 1 teaspoon of ground coriander with the salt and pepper. Stir in 1 bunch of chopped fresh coriander after the soup has been liquidized.
Carrot and Ginger soup: Peel and grate 2.5cm/1 inch fresh ginger root and crush one clove of garlic. Cook with the vegetables. Serve with a swirl of natural yoghurt and a sprinkling of chopped parsley.
Carrot, Leek and Potato soup: Add 3-4 leeks and 2 medium potatoes to this recipe and cook with the other vegetables for a slightly thicker and more savoury soup.
Spiced Carrot and Lentil soup: Add 1 teaspoon ground cumin and 1 chopped red chilli to the vegetables. When the vegetables have softened add 140g split red lentils and stir in before adding stock. Serve with a swirl of yoghurt and a sprinkling of toasted cumin seeds.
Feel like a warm winter lunch that you don’t have to cook yourself? Try the tempting selection of lunch dishes at Belle and Jerome restaurant in Nottingham.
Devilish Chocolate Souffle Recipe
Hot chocolate soufflés with their light, fluffy tops and deep, dark and satisfying chocolatey interior are the ultimate in impressive desserts to serve at dinner. Good dark chocolate and free-range eggs are all you need for some really decadent chocolate indulgence that will wow your guests.
Soufflés have a reputation for being tricky, but it is really just that they need beating together and baking at the last minute that can be a problem when you are planning a dinner party. Try them out at an informal supper when you want to spoil your friends and you will find that they are easier to make than you suspected and even more delicious.
Recipe for Chocolate Soufflé
Ingredients to serve four
110g / 4oz really good dark chocolate
4 egg yolks
6 egg whites at room temperature
cream and icing sugar to serve
Put a baking sheet in the oven and preheat it to 200C / 400F.
Butter a 1.2 litre / 2 pint soufflé dish or four individual ramekins (250ml / 1 cup size)
Chop the chocolate into small pieces and put into a mixing bowl over a saucepan of water that is just simmering. When the chocolate has melted, beat it until smooth.
Whisk the egg yolks well and stir them into the chocolate.
In a clean dry bowl whisk the egg whites until stiff.
Fold the egg whites gently, a little at a time, into the chocolate mixture with a metal spoon, so as not to lose any air.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared soufflé dish and bake on the heated baking sheet until the soufflé has puffed right up and is springy to the touch. This should take about 20 minutes for the large soufflé and 10-12 minutes for the individual ones.
Serve immediately, as they will collapse in a few minutes and not look nearly so impressive. You can dust them lightly with icing sugar and serve with a jug of pouring cream alongside to douse them with.
Other things you can add to your hot chocolate soufflé:
2 tablespoons of rum or
2 tablespoons coffee liqueur or
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or
½ teaspoon of cinnamon
These should be mixed into the melted chocolate at the beginning of the recipe.
Not ready to attempt your own chocolate soufflés yet? Why not indulge your tastebuds by trying the wicked desserts at The Living Room restaurant in Nottingham.
Fruit Smoothie Recipe
Refreshing, delicious and healthy, fruit smoothies are so easy to make at home that you hardly need a recipe. All you need is a blender and some fresh ripe fruit and you can have a natural and tasty drink in seconds, which will provide you with loads of vitamins, anti-oxidants and minerals. Smoothies are a great way of getting kids to eat their daily five portions of fruit and veg without them even noticing that they are doing so.
In summer you are spoilt for choice with fruit to use in your smoothies: strawberries, raspberries, peaches, apricots. Even gooseberries and blackcurrants make wonderful smoothies, on their own or mixed with other fruits. In winter you can still make great smoothies using frozen berries, but you can also use bananas, mangos, kiwis, oranges, passion fruit, pomegranates and pineapples to add freshness and vitamins to your fruit smoothie.
You can make up your own smoothies with whatever fresh, ripe fruit you have available and mix them with yoghurt or fruit juices. When the fruit is properly ripe you won’t need to add sugar at all making your smoothie even healthier. In summer you can add crushed ice cubes to the mix for instant chill.
Here are a few smoothie recipes to start your imagination going:
Cranberry and Raspberry Smoothie
1 cup cranberries
1 cup raspberries
125ml / ½ cup cranberry juice
1 cup yoghurt
Blend until smooth. Taste to check for sweetness and add a little more juice if you need it a little sweeter.
Mango, Banana and Strawberry Smoothie
1 mango / 100g chopped mango peeled
1 small, ripe banana
3-4 strawberries
Juice of 1 orange
Blend all the fruit together until smooth.
Tropical Smoothie
1 small pineapple peeled and diced
1 banana
1 cup yoghurt
1 tablespoon dessicated coconut
1 cup pineapple/orange juice
1 passion fruit
Blend together until smooth.
Don’t forget you can add extra oomph to your smoothies with a little grated ginger root, or a dash of ground spice. Cardamom, cinnamon, and even coriander can work well to add variety to your smoothie recipes.
You can also turn your smoothies into a liquid health breakfast, by adding ingredients like nuts, flaxseed oil and wheat germ along with the berries and fresh fruit.
Don’t have your own blender at home? Go out and try the fresh and delicious smoothies at Tonic restaurant in Nottingham.
Simple Tiramisu Recipe
Rich, creamy and sinfully delicious, tiramisu has moved beyond its native Italy to take the whole world by storm. There is no one authentic tiramisu recipe, as in Italy you will come across countless versions. Some are thick and set like a trifle, others have a light and almost runny custard on top of the soaked sponge. What they all have in common is a strong espresso coffee to soak the sponge and a mascarpone custard to provide the richness.
This tiramisu recipe builds up layers of coffee sponge and mascarpone custard for a sumptuous dessert with the true Italian flavour, and is guaranteed to delight your dinner guests.
Recipe for Tiramisu
Ingredients
3 cups of strong espresso coffee, cooled
6 tablespoons Marsala, Amaretto or Italian coffee liqueur
3 tablespoons caster sugar
2 eggs separated
250 ml /1 cup whipped cream
250g / 8oz mascarpone cheese
1 packet sponge finger biscuits / savoiardi
cocoa powder to dust.
Beat together the egg yolks and sugar until they are pale and thick (about 3 minutes).
Beat in the mascarpone until well mixed in. Fold in the whipped cream gently with a metal spoon.
Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until they form soft peaks. Fold them gently into the mascarpone cream. Add 3 tablespoons of the liqueur you have chosen, folding it in carefully so as not to lose the volume.
Put the cold coffee in a bowl with the rest of the liqueur. Dip each biscuit into the liquid for a couple of seconds on each side, without letting it get soggy. Place them into the bottom of the serving dish you will be using. Use half the biscuits for the bottom layer and keep the rest for the next layer.
Spread half of the cream over the biscuits and then make another layer of soaked biscuits. Spread with cream again and level it off. Sprinkle with a dusting of cocoa powder. Refrigerate for at least two hours before serving for the flavours to develop and the mascarpone custard to thicken.
Tiramisu Recipe Variations
Some recipes add a layer of grated dark chocolate on top of the cream.
If you don’t want to use any liqueur in your tiramisu, add the same quantity of strong coffee to the custard for flavouring.
Feel like indulging in tiramisu now without waiting to prepare it? Head out to one of the fine Italian Restaurants in Nottingham to see how the Italians make tiramisu.
Homemade burger recipe
A homemade burger is a completely different story to the kind you buy at a fast food joint. With homemade burgers you know exactly what is in them, can spice them as you like and shape them large or small. This recipe can also be used to make meatballs, just shape the mixture to the size you want. There are no preservatives and you can use good lean beef mince, so that you can even persuade yourself it’s a healthy option!
This is a basic but very tasty beef burger recipe that you can add to as you like. Once cooked, it is up to you whether you turn it into a cheeseburger with a few slices of cheddar melting irresistibly into it, or just pile it high in a bun with tomato relish and a few slivers of red onion.
Recipe for Homemade Burgers
Ingredients
1 kg / 2lb 3oz good minced beef
2 eggs
2 red onions chopped finely
2 handfuls of fresh breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
salt and pepper
Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together well with your hands. Form into burger shapes however large you like, but make them thicker and more rounded than the commercial hamburger.
Refrigerate the burger patties until you are ready to cook.
Cook on a barbecue or under a grill for 5 minutes or so on each side if they are large burgers, or bake in a hot oven until the outside is well browned (about 15 minutes).
You can eat these burgers slightly pink in the middle if you enjoy your beef rare, as you know the beef is good quality having made them freshly yourself.
Serve in a lightly toasted bun with whatever you like in a hamburger: salad, gherkins, onions, tomato salsa, ketchup, mayo, it is up to you.
Suggestions for other herbs and spices to use in your burger mix as well of or instead of the cumin and coriander if you prefer:
1 red chilli chopped fine, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, 2 cloves garlic, parsley chopped fine, lemon zest
Feel like someone else cooking for you tonight? Why not try the gourmet burgers at Fat Cat restaurant in Nottingham who offer 10 types of homemade burgers.
Mushroom Risotto Recipe
A true Italian mushroom risotto is creamy in texture and rich with a complexity of flavours: the background note of a good chicken broth, the vibrant flavours of the vegetable, meat or seafood you have chosen and the depth of fresh parmesan. It makes a deeply satisfying supper or an impressive first course to an Italian meal.
It is however a labour of love, as a risotto needs almost continuous stirring during its 30 minutes cooking, to develop the essential creamy texture. It’s no good just cooking some rice and stirring in some vegetable sauce afterwards, the vegetables must cook together with the Italian Arborio or Carnaroli rice so that the rice absorbs all the flavours.
This recipe features dried porcini mushrooms and makes the perfect showcase for their rich and earthy flavour, for a wonderful autumn or winter risotto. If you are lucky enough to have fresh porcini mushrooms you can use them too, just add them to the pan after the onions have softened and cook for a few more minutes before adding the rice.
Recipe for Dried Mushroom Risotto
Ingredients
25g / 1oz dried porcini mushrooms or ceps
1 litre / 1 ¾ pints good chicken stock or bouillon
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
60g / 2oz butter
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
400g / 14oz Italian risotto rice (Arborio or Carnaroli)
25g / 1oz freshly grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to season
Soak the mushrooms in 450ml / 1 pint of lukewarm water at least 30 minutes before you want to start cooking. Once the first lot of soaking water has turned dark brown, strain it through a sieve lined with kitchen paper and keep for later. Soak the mushrooms in fresh changes of water until they are soft and there is no sign of any earth or grit left in the water.
Bring the stock or bouillon to a gentle simmer.
Sauté the onion in half the butter and all the oil in a heavy based casserole until it has softened but don’t let it brown.
Stir in the rice until it is well coated and stir for a moment, then add the first ladleful of simmering stock. Stir until it has all been absorbed then add another ladle, continuing to stir almost constantly, so that the rice doesn’t stick to the pan. The heat should be lively but not so hot that it evaporates all the liquid and dries out the rice too quickly.
After about 10 minutes of cooking, add the soaked mushrooms and 125 ml / ½ cup of the mushroom soaking liquid you reserved earlier. Keep stirring frequently and add the mushroom liquid 125 ml at a time until it has all been absorbed. Use the chicken stock to finish the cooking and keep stirring and cooking until the rice is tender to the bite,, but still al dente and no longer chalky in the centre. The amount of time depends on the rice used and can vary from 25 minutes-40 minutes, so the best way to tell is by tasting the rice.
When the rice is tender and creamy remove the pan from the heat and stir in the grated parmesan and the rest of the butter. Check for salt and add more if needed, plus a few grindings of pepper. Serve immediately with a bowl of parmesan cheese alongside.
Feel like a good mushroom risotto, but don’t fancy standing over a hot stove for so long? Why not try the risotto at Strada restaurant in Nottingham.
Simple Sea Bass Recipe
Light, fresh and firm in texture, sea bass is the ideal choice for a quick weekday supper. Easy to cook all types of sea bass, from Chilean sea bass to Black sea bass can be served in so many ways: pan-fried, grilled, steamed or baked, and they go brilliantly with all sorts of different spices and herbs, so are very versatile. Who needs fast food if you have a couple of sea bass fillets fresh from the fishmonger?! They’ll be cooked and ready to eat in no time and are healthy too.
This recipe pan-fries the fillets, de-glazing the pan with balsamic vinegar, but you can grill the fillets and steam the vegetables if you prefer to keep things as fat-free as possible. Just brush the fillets with a light coating of oil before grilling and season them.
Pan-fried Sea Bass recipe
Ingredients
2 sea bass fillets
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper
mange-touts
mushrooms
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Score the skin of the sea bass fillet just into the flesh several times about 1 cm apart. Blanche the mange touts in boiling water for 1 minute and set aside on a warm plate.
Chop mushrooms into quarters or slices depending on the size.
Season the Sea Bass with a little salt and pepper.
Heat a frying pan until hot and then add 2 tablespoon of oil. Put the sea bass fillets into the pan skin side down and then press them with a fish slice so they don’t curl up. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 3-4 minutes until the flesh has coloured to about 2/3 of the way up the fillet. Turn the fish and cook the other side for another 2 or three minutes until just done. Remove to a warm plate to rest and drizzle some of the oil and juices from the pan over it.
Turn the heat back up and fry the mushrooms in it for 2-3 minutes until they are just cooked. Add to the warm plate. Deglaze the pan with the balsamic vinegar, letting it bubble and stirring so it picks up all the flavours from the pan.
Serve the sea bass fillet on a bed of mange-touts and mushrooms with the balsamic reduction drizzled over them.
Other flavours to add to your sea bass recipe:
• Instead of using mushrooms to accompany your sea bass why not throw a handful of capers and a few anchovy filets into the pan after the fish is cooked, add a squeeze of lemon and scatter them over the fish for added depth of flavour.
• Try other things to de-glaze your pan: white wine, sherry or just a good squeeze of lemon juice.
• For baked sea bass, place the fillets in an oiled roasting tin, brush them lightly with oil and season with salt and pepper or other spices and bake at 200C / 400F for 15-20 minutes according to the thickness of the fish.
Want your meal cooked by somebody else tonight? Why not try some of the delicious fish dishes at Loch Fyne restaurant in Nottingham.
Prawn Dim Sum Recipe
Originally served as snacks to accompany Yum Cha (drinking tea) in the Chinese teahouses, dim sum were something to be enjoyed in the mornings with friends or on the weekend with family. Even today Chinese dim sum restaurants often only serve dim sum from early morning until mid-afternoon, when they change over to serving other cuisine as the evening meal.
The name dim sum covers a huge array of tasty dumplings, rolls, buns and other snacks and the best way to experience dim sum is to eat with a group of people and taste a variety of different dishes. Here is an easy dim sum recipe for steamed prawn dumplings and a dipping sauce to accompany them. Use this recipe as a base and experiment with different flavours and fillings. Beef, chicken, pork, prawns and vegetables are all authentic fillings, so all you need is a little imagination.
Prawn Dim Sum recipe
Ingredients
250g / 9oz raw king prawns, de-veined and peeled
50g / 2oz finely sliced bamboo shoots
1 tablespoon rice wine or dry sherry
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon caster sugar
1 teaspoon salt
a grinding of pepper
16 gyoza or wonton wrappers
For the dip
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 red chilli chopped fine
Process the prawns to a puree in a food processor. Mix the prawn puree with the sliced bamboo shoots, rice wine or sherry, sesame oil, sugar, salt and pepper.
On a clean work surface lay out the wrappers and place a small spoonful of the prawn mixture in the centre of each. Dampen the edges of each wrapper with a damp finger and then press the edges together to seal.
Put the prawn dumplings on a sheet of greaseproof paper in a bamboo steamer. Cook over gently simmering water for 4-5 minutes until the mixture is completely cooked through. Serve immediately.
While the prawn dumplings are cooking mix together the dipping sauce and put it in a small bowl to serve next to the prawn dumplings.
Making dim sum at home sound too much like hard work? Why not eat at Chino Latino restaurant in Nottingham and enjoy a whole range of delicious dim sum.
Simple Sponge Cake Recipe
Having a reliable recipe for a sponge cake at your fingertips is really useful. You can ice it lavishly for family birthday cakes or dress it up in strawberries and cream for a sumptuous summer dessert. It is delicious for tea just filled with a spread of strawberry jam and sprinkled with caster sugar when you have guests. And it is easy enough to turn it into a chocolate sponge cake with the addition of cocoa powder and some chocolate butter icing.
This basic sponge cake recipe is made even easier as it is mixed in the food processor, rather than creamed by hand, but if you prefer you can still make it by hand, in which case beat it well when you cream the butter and sugar and add the eggs, and leave out the extra baking powder.
Recipe for Sponge Cake
Ingredients
225g / 8oz self-raising flour
225g / 8oz caster sugar
225g / 8oz very soft butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 eggs
3-4 tablespoons milk
Grease and line 2 21cm / 8 inch sandwich tins.
Preheat the oven to 180C / 375F.
Sift the flour. Put all the ingredients except the milk into the food processor and process until smooth. Add two tablespoons of milk and then process again. Check the consistency. It should be soft and drop easily from the spoon. Add 1 or 2 more tablespoons of milk as needed. Divide the mixture evenly between the tins and bake for 25 minutes until the sponge is springy and a skewer comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack and then sandwich together with the filling of your choice.
More suggestions for filling and icing your sponge cake:
Fill your sponge cake with whipped cream and crushed fresh raspberries.
Make a butter icing flavoured with orange zest and juice to fill your sponge cake.
To make a chocolate sponge cake, replace 30g of the flour with cocoa powder. Fill with whipped cream flavoured with vanilla essence and top with grated chocolate or a sprinkling of icing sugar.
Feel like going out for tea and cake instead of baking today? Why not tempt yourself with the luscious cakes on offer at Perkins restaurant in Nottingham.
Simple Tarte Tatin Recipe
Luscious caramelized apples on golden pastry, a classic tarte tatin is the sort of impressive dessert that you expect to eat in a French restaurant but hardly dare attempt at home. In fact it isn’t too hard to make as long as you keep a close eye on it while the apples caramelise, and you can use a good bought puff pastry for the base to make it even easier.
A heavy-based, ovenproof skillet or omelette pan is essential to make a tarte tatin as it is cooked half on the hob and then finished off in a hot oven. Choose a firm variety of eating apples, such as coxs’ orange pippins, so that they retain their shape when cooked.
Apple Tart Tartin
Ingredients
225g / 8oz puff pastry (or make your own sweet rich shortcrust pastry)
8-10 small firm eating apples
55g / 2oz granulated sugar
55g / 2oz soft butter
2 tablespoons brandy
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Roll out your pastry to get a circle that is slightly larger than your pan or skillet. Trim the edges to make a neat circle. Prick the pastry lightly with a fork and put it in the fridge to chill, while you get everything else ready.
Preheat the oven to 220C/ 450F
Spread the soft butter evenly over the base of your pan, using your fingers to make sure it is all coated well. Sprinkle the sugar on top,
Mix the brandy and lemon juice in a large bowl. Peer the apples and halve or quarter them depending on the size. Remove the cores. Toss each apple piece in the lemon and brandy so it is completely coated, to prevent it going brown.
Arrange the apples curved side down in the pan on top of the butter and sugar. They should be arranged in neat circles and tightly packed.
Put the pan on a medium high heat and cook until the sugar has caramelized. If the apples give out a lot of juice this can take longer, but they should be done after about 20 minutes. Keep a close eye on the pan, moving it around if necessary so that the apples and sugar colour evenly.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly for 5 minutes. Then tuck the pastry circle over the pan and down the sides, being careful not to touch the hot caramel. Put it straight in the hot oven as quickly as possible and bake for about 25 minutes until the pastry is golden and puffed up.
Rest it in the pan for 5 minutes, then take a large serving plate and hold it tightly over the pan. Quickly invert the pan so that the tarte tatin slips out with all the caramelly juices. Serve with cream or crème fraiche
Want the professionals to cook your tarte tatin for you? Why not try the desserts at Merchants restaurant in Nottingham.
Chocolate Profiteroles Recipe
Sinfully delicious chocolate profiteroles, bursting with chantilly cream and topped with dark chocolate, are one of those treats that tempt you from the dessert trolley of a fine restaurant. Complex as they look, they actually aren’t too hard to make at home and make an incredibly impressive dessert to produce for guests once in a while.
The final result of your profiteroles au chocolat does of course depend on the quality of the chocolate you use for your chocolate sauce. Go for a really good dark chocolate for that wonderful contrast between dark cocoa and sweet cream filling.
Recipe for Chocolate Profiteroles
For the Choux Pastry:
170g/ 6oz unsalted butter
240ml / 1 cup water
210g / 7oz plain flour
3 large eggs
For the Chantilly Cream Filling:
300ml cream
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 tablespoons icing sugar
For the Chocolate Sauce:
110g / 4oz dark chocolate
15g/ ½ oz butter
2 tablespoons water
Melt the butter with water over a low heat until it has melted. Bring it to a fast boil and then take it off the heat. Sift the flour twice to make sure it is very well aerated. Add it all in one go into the butter mix. Beat with a wooden spoon until it has all formed a smooth paste and comes away from the edges of the pan. Tip it out onto a cold plate to cool for 10-15 minutes.
Beat the eggs.
Return the pastry to the pan and beat in the eggs a little at a time. This should give you a shiny batter with a good dropping consistency.
Place spoonfuls of the batter onto a greased baking tray leaving enough space between for them to puff up to three times the size.
Bake at 200C / 400F for 25 minutes until they are nicely golden.
Remove from the oven and make a small slit or hole in the base of each profiterole to allow the steam to escape. Put them all bake on the baking tray upside down and return to the switched off oven to dry out for 5 minutes. Cool on a rack.
When the profiteroles have cooled, whip the cream with the icing sugar and vanilla essence and pipe it into each of the profiteroles.
Melt the dark chocolate with the butter and water to a smooth chocolate sauce and either dip each one separately or pour the sauce over the stack of profiteroles.
Still prefer to indulge in profiteroles at your favourite restaurant? Try a top dessert at Iberico World Tapas restaurant in Nottingham.
Sesame chicken recipe
Tender marinated chicken pieces, fried and served with a delicious sweet and sour sauce and a sprinkling of tasty toasted sesame seeds, sesame chicken is a popular dish at Chinese restaurants, but it is just as quick and easy to make at home.
Traditionally the chicken sesame is deep-fried after being marinated, but if you prefer you can stir fry it and add some vegetables to the stir fry for a more health conscious version that tastes just as good. Don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients, they are mostly inexpensive things you will have already.
Recipe for Sesame Chicken
Ingredients
3 whole chicken breasts or 6 boneless thighs
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
peanut or vegetable oil for frying
For the marinade:
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
½ teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon dry sherry or rice wine
2 tablespoons plain flour
2 tablespoons cornflour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
For the sesame sauce:
225ml / 1 cup chicken stock
120ml / ½ cup water
3-4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar
4 tablespoons cornflour
225g / 8oz sugar
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 clove garlic finely chopped
1 teaspoon chilli paste
Mix together all the marinade ingredients. Cut the chicken into 2cm/1inch cubes and marinate for at least 20 minutes.
While the chicken is marinating, prepare the sauce. Mix together all the sauce ingredients in a small pan. Bring to the boil, stirring all the time. Reduce the heat to low and keep warm until the chicken has been fried.
When the chicken has marinated, deep fry it in batches until golden, then drain on kitchen paper and keep warm in a low oven, while you cook the rest. Or alternatively stir fry the chicken in a wok with a few green vegetables.
Bring the sauce back to the boil and pour over the cooked chicken. Sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds on top and serve your sesame chicken with rice or noodles.
Fancy eating Chinese tonight, but don’t have all the ingredients? Try the sesame chicken at the Oriental Pearl restaurant in Nottingham.
Lentil soup recipe
Deeply satisfying, nutritious and cheap, an Italian lentil soup recipe is great to see you through chilly evenings or even to take to work with you for a heartening lunch. Simple and delicious made with water, if you happen to have some ham stock left over from your Christmas gammon this lentil soup becomes a real feast, the smokiness of the ham adding even more depth to the earthy lentils.
The great thing about this recipe is that you can make it easily from store-cupboard standbys, as long as you remember to keep brown lentils in stock. It is even better with the tiny brown lentils from Puy in France or Castelluccio in Italy, but plain brown or green lentils still make a really good and tasty soup.
Recipe for Lentil Soup
Ingredients
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
1 stick celery, finely chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
25g / 1 oz butter
40g / 1 ½ oz pancetta or bacon (optional)
220g / 8oz chopped tinned tomatoes
220g / 8oz dried brown lentils
1 litre / 1 ¾ pints stock or water
salt and pepper
freshly grated parmesan cheese to serve
Put the oil and the butter in a heavy based pan and sauté the onion over a medium heat until light gold.
Add the carrot ad celery and continue to cook for 3 more minutes stirring occasionally.
Add the pancetta or bacon if using and cook for another minute.
Stir in the chopped tomatoes with their juice and cook uncovered at a gently simmer for 20-25 minutes until the liquid is gone. Stir from time to time.
Rinse the lentils and check for grit then add them to the tomato mix stirring them in. Add the broth and season with salt and pepper.
Cook covered at a simmer until the lentils are tender, about 45 minutes. They may need more liquid, in which case add a little more stock or water. Check for salt.
Serve with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese and some crusty bread.
Note
This makes a great vegetarian dish if you leave out the bacon and use vegetable stock. For vegans adapt the recipe further, by using more olive oil instead of butter and leave off the parmesan cheese.
Don’t feel like cooking tonight after all? Why not try the delicious Mediterranean food at Shaw’s restaurant in Nottingham.
Hungarian Goulash Recipe
A slow-cooked beef stew with the pizzazz of paprika and some sweet freshness from the red peppers, this Hungarian beef goulash recipe is a great way to make a substantial and delicious stew from cheaper cuts of beef. You can also cook it with lamb, veal or pork, but always choose the tougher stewing cuts, as they are what produce the rich, thick gravy with long, slow cooking.
This goulash recipe uses onions, tomatoes, potatoes and peppers as vegetables, but potatoes, carrots, celery and parsnips are all authentic additions to Hungarian goulash, which is really a stew of whatever is available and in season.
Recipe for Hungarian Beef Goulash
Ingredients
700g / 1 ½ lb stewing steak
2 onions
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon plain flour
1 tablespoon Hungarian paprika
400g / 14oz tin tomatoes
2 large potatoes or several smaller ones, peeled and cut into chunks
1 medium red pepper
salt and pepper
150 ml / ½ cup sour cream
Chop the onions roughly and cut the beef into cubes of about 3cm / 1 inch. Heat the oil in a casserole and cook the meat in it in batches until browned on all sides. Remove to a warm plate as each batch is browned.
Cook the onions in the same pot for about 5 minutes until they are light golden.
Return the meat to the casserole and add the garlic. Sprinkle in the flour and paprika and stir well until they have soaked up the juices and cooked for 1 minute.
Add the tin of tomatoes, stirring well, then season with salt and pepper and add the cut up potatoes.
Cook in a pre-heated oven at 140C / 275F for two hours.
De-seed and slice the red pepper and add it to the casserole. Return it to the oven for another 30 minutes.
Serve with a dollop of sour cream on top or swirled in. and a sprinkling of paprika. Accompany the goulash with egg noodles or rice.
Variations
You can increase the amount of paprika according to personal preference.
Instead of a tin of chopped tomatoes use a tablespoon of tomato puree for colour, which leaves more room for the paprika flavour to shine.
Vary the vegetables you use, according to season.
Feel like sampling other traditional European dishes today? Visit Il Rosso restaurant in Nottingham for a wide range of fine European cuisine.
Crispy duck recipe
Peking duck or crispy aromatic duck are wonderfully enticing dishes to eat out at a Chinese restaurant. Crispy slices of slow roast duck, the fat all melted away to leave tender and succulent meat and crispy skin fragrant with spices. Served with pancakes and plum sauce it is a meal to savour, redolent of traditional Chinese cooking of the imperial Ming dynasty.
Cooking crispy Peking style duck at home is perfectly possible if you use a much simpler recipe and go for succulent duck breast cooked quickly to crisp the skin beautifully. You can enjoy all the flavours of Peking duck, though it’s hard to match the texture and depth of authentic crispy aromatic duck at home.
Recipe for Crispy Duck
Ingredients
2 duck breasts
1 tablespoon groundnut oil
For the crispy duck marinade:
2 tablespoons rice wine or dry sherry
4 tablespoons fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
2 tablespoons ground Sichuan peppercorns
6 star anise
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoons dark soy sauce
pinch salt
For the plum duck sauce:
4 plums
100ml / ½ cup water
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 whole star anise
1 stick cinnamon
juice of 1 lime
Whisk all the marinade ingredients together well.
Score the skin of the duck breasts in a criss-cross pattern, then put into a bowl with the marinade and leave to marinate, covered with cling film, for about 25 minutes.
In a wok or frying pan, heat the groundnut oil until very hot then fry the duck, skin side down for about 5 minutes, until the skin is crisp and golden brown.
Put the duck onto a baking tray skin side up and roast in a preheated oven at 200C for 4 more minutes, or until it is cooked through.
While the duck is cooking make the plum duck sauce. Stone the plums and quarter them. Bring the water to boil in a small saucepan, then add the plums, sugar, honey, star anise and cinnamon and cook over a medium heat. Let it reduce to a sticky sauce then remove from the heat and strain. Stir in the lime juice.
Serve the crispy duck, with the sauce poured over, on a bed of noodles or salad.
Still hankering after authentic crispy aromatic duck? Enjoy it at Oriental Pearl restaurant in Nottingham.
Delicious chocolate pancake recipe
Tasty weekend breakfast or last minute dessert, pancakes are a great way of cooking up a treat in no time. Combined with a luscious chocolate filling they will wow kids and adults alike and you can create endless variations on the pancake theme, filling them with strawberries and chocolate or just plain chocolate chips, according to what you have available and the whim of the moment.
The important thing is to get a basic pancake batter recipe that you like and find a pan that works for you, so that the process of making the pancakes is as easy as possible. Once you get going you’ll cook up a stack of pancakes in no time and can have fun playing with different chocolate fillings.
Basic Pancake Batter Recipe
Ingredients
110g / 4oz plain flour
2 large eggs
pinch salt
200ml / 7fl oz milk mixed with 75ml / 3 fl oz water
2 tablespoons melted butter
Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Make a hollow in the flour and break the eggs into it, then whisk with an electric beater in the middle, gradually incorporating the flour. Start adding the milk and water a little at a time as you whisk. Keep beating until all the flour is mixed in and you have a smooth batter, the consistency of thin cream. Stir in the melted butter only when you are ready to cook the pancake mix.
To cook the pancakes:
Heat a non-stick frying pan, of the size you want your pancakes to be (about 20cm/8inches is good). Melt a small teaspoon of butter in the pan. Tip off any excess butter. When the pan is hot, turn the heat to medium and pour in about 2 tablespoons of batter. Tip the pan so the mixture coats the base evenly. It should cook in about half a minute, so the underside is golden. Loosen the edges with a palette knife then toss it or flip it to cook the other side briefly. Stack onto a plate and cook the next pancake. Cover the cooked pancakes with a clean cloth to keep warm while you cook the rest.
Chocolate pancake fillings
The easiest way to make chocolate pancakes is to use a really good chocolate spread or Nutella, dolloping it lavishly in the middle of each pancake, as you serve them.
Alternatively, grate a really good chocolate and as soon as you’ve flipped the pancake sprinkle the grated chocolate over it so it starts to melt. Fold it in half and then half again and keep warm until you serve it. Great with strawberries and a dash of cream.
Or if you’re feeling restrained, keep the pancakes plain inside but serve them with chocolate sauce drizzled over.
Feel like eating out for breakfast on the weekend? Try the breakfast at Woodborough Hall restaurant in Nottingham.
Simple Sushi Recipe
Making sushi at home is much easier than you’d think. Once you have mastered the trick of cooking sushi rice to the right consistency of sticky but not mushy, it is just a matter of putting the ingredients together attractively. The great thing about making your own sushi is that you can include any fillings you like, including lots of vegetarian sushi choices.
Presentation is important in sushi making, so you need to think of food colour combinations as well as flavours. This recipe for a sushi roll combines salmon or tuna and cucumber to make an attractive green orange colour scheme in the centre of a layer of rice. Take time over the wrapping so that your parcel is neat and symmetrical making a roll that is pretty on the plate as well as tasty.
First cook your sushi rice
Sushi Rice Recipe
2 cups Japanese rice
2 ¼ cups water
50ml cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
It’s easiest to use cup measures to measure the rice, as then you know that you just need slightly more volume of water than rice, to get the right consistency. Put the rice in a large bowl and wash it with cold water. Keep changing the water until the water is clear. Leave the rice to drain in a colander for 30 minutes. Put the rice and water in a pot. Cover with lid and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and cook for about 20 minutes until the water is almost all absorbed. Turn off the heat and leave covered to steam for 15 minutes before using.
Prepare the sushi vinegar buy mixing the rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a pan. Warm over a low heat until the sugar dissolves. Allow to cool. In a large wooden or ceramic bowl spread the hot rice and sprinkle the vinegar mixture over it and fold it in quickly but gently, so you don’t smash the rice, turning often so the rice cools to room temperature..
To make sushi rolls or maki sushi:
Sushi Roll Recipe
3 sheets nori (dried seaweed)
200g / 6oz very fresh tuna or smoked salmon cut into thin strips
1 cucumber peeled and cut into strips
2 teaspoons wasabi sauce
1 quantity cooked sushi rice as above
Put a sheet of nori on a bamboo sushi mat.
Spread the cooked sushi rice over the nori sheet in a ½ -1 cm thick layer leaving just a little space at one end for the flap.
Place your fillings lengthways across the sushi rice. Spread a thin layer of wasabi sauce first. Then arrange one row of fish, one row of cucumber for example.
Roll up the bamboo mat, pressing the sushi into a cylinder as you go. Press gently on the bamboo mat to make sure the sushi has formed an even cylinder. Remove the mat. Use a sharp, damp knife to slice your sushi roll into bite-sized pieces.
Other fillings to add to your sushi rolls:
Avocado, spring onions, prawns, crab, tofu, shitake mushrooms, strips of omelette.
Prefer to have your sushi made for you? Why not feast on sushi at Chino Latino restaurant in Nottingham.
Simple Moussaka Recipe
A classic Greek moussaka is a substantial, subtly spiced, layered bake of aubergines and minced beef topped with a creamy béchamel that fluffs up beautifully when baked. It takes a while to prepare, but is really worth it and you can always cook the meat the day before to make it easier.
The aubergines are an important part of the flavour of the finished dish, so make sure you use fresh and glossy skinned ones. Traditionally beef mince is most often used for moussaka in Greece but our British version frequently prefers lamb, so the choice is yours.
Recipe for Moussaka
Ingredients
450g / 1lb minced beef or lamb
1 large onion sliced
½ cup white wine
400g tin tomatoes chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
salt ad pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
1 bay leaf
25g grated parmesan
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 kg / 2.2 lb aubergines
½ cup vegetable oil for frying
Bechamel sauce and Topping
80g / 3oz butter
80g / 3oz flour
600ml / 1 pint milk
salt and pepper
90g / 3oz grated parmesan
2 egg yolks
4 tablespoons toasted breadcrumbs
Prepare the aubergine
Trim the stems off the aubergines and wash them. Slice into ½ inch / 1cm slices lengthways. Stand them in a large bowl and sprinkle them liberally with salt on both side. Leave them for 30 minutes. The bitter juice should run out. Rinse them well and pat them dry on kitchen towel. Fry them in batches in the vegetable oil until they are golden brown on both sides. Drain them on kitchen towel to get rid of the excess oil.
Prepare the meat
Put two tablespoons of oil into a large pan and fry the onion over a medium heat until starting to soften. Add the minced meat and stir until it loses its raw red colour. Pour in the wine and let it bubble, then add the chopped tomatoes with just a little of their juice. Stir in the spices, bay leaf and oregano. Cook covered at a gentle simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. The liquid should all have been absorbed. If it hasn’t cook uncovered for another 15 minutes or until it looks fairly dry. At the end stir in 25g grated parmesan and the chopped parsley.
Make the béchamel sauce
Warm the milk. In a small saucepan melt the butter then add in the flour a little at a time stirring constantly until it has all formed a paste. Add the milk a little at a time stirring each lot in before adding the next. Add the seasoning and cook stirring often until the sauce thickens. Off the heat add 60g of the parmesan cheese and the egg yolks, stirring them in well to make a thick béchamel.
Put it all together
Oil a deep roasting dish. Put a layer of fried aubergine slices to cover the bottom. Spread half of the meat over them, then add another layer of aubergine slices. Put the rest of the meat in an even layer on top. Any left over aubergine slices can go on top of this, but it doesn’t matter if you have used them up already. Pour the béchamel sauce over, then sprinkle the rest of the grated cheese and the breadcrumbs over the top..
Bake at 180C / 350F for 1 hour until the top is golden. Allow to stand for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Serve with a salad and some crusty bread.
Want to eat moussaka without all this work?! Visit one of the Greek restaurants in Nottingham for authentic Greek cuisine.
Delicious Chicken Korma Recipe
Rich and delicately spiced, chicken korma is a dish fit for kings. Not surprising since the pale creamy korma curry originated in the royal palaces of the Mogul dynasty. Korma relies on the fragrant spices like cardamom, cloves and coriander for its flavour, with far less of the fiery chilli, so is ideal for those who aren’t into hot curries.
The chicken is marinated in a yoghurt and spice mix for a few hours before cooking, which can easily be done in the morning before you go to work, if you want to cook chicken korma for your evening meal. You can make a richer version by substituting half of the yoghurt with cream when you really feel like spoiling yourself.
Recipe for Chicken Korma
Ingredients
750g / 1 ½ lbs chicken pieces on the bone
200ml plain yogurt
3 cloves garlic
2cm / 1 inch ginger root, peeled
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 tablespoons ghee or vegetable oil
1 piece of mace
1 piece of stick cinnamon
10 cloves
10 black peppercorns
10 cardamom pods
1 green chilli
salt and pepper to season
1 medium onion, chopped
200ml water
70g / 2oz creamed coconut
3 tablespoons ground almonds
½ teaspoon garam masala
fresh coriander to garnish
Remove skin from the chicken pieces. Finely chop the garlic and ginger or whiz it to a paste in the processor. Mix with the yoghurt and ground coriander and marinate the chicken for a minimum of 30 minutes, but preferably 3 hours or so. If you leave it for longer refrigerate it and allow it to come to room temperature again before cooking.
In a large non-stick pan, heat the oil or ghee and add the cinnamon, mace, cloves, peppercorns and cardamom pods. Stir them for half a minute and then add the chopped onion and whole green chilli. Season with salt. Cook stirring occasionally for six minutes until the onions are soft and golden.
Add the chicken with its marinade and the water to the pan. Bring to a boil and then cook covered at a gentle simmer for 25-35 minutes until the chicken is tender. If you use chicken breast instead of joints of chicken you can reduce the time. Check the pan every now and again, give it a stir and add a splash more water if it looks dry.
Add the almonds and coconut and stir them in well. Simmer uncovered for another 3 minutes until the sauce is nice and creamy. At the last minute stir in the garam masala and a pinch of sugar, check the seasoning then garnish with chopped fresh coriander. Serve with rice or naan bread.
Love chicken korma but want to eat out tonight? Why not try one of the fine Indian restaurants in Nottingham on a map.
Simple Cumberland Sausage Recipe
You can buy so many varieties of sausage these days; it’s no longer a question of pork or beef, you can choose from exotic sounding combinations of wild game, gourmet treatments of the humble pork sausage and even get vegetarian ones, so why would you bother to make your own? Making your own homemade sausages gives you control over what goes into it, you can experiment with spices and flavourings and make sure that only good quality meat is used. And they taste great!
You can make your own sausages with the minimum of equipment: a large piping bag, or a funnel with a stick to push the meat through, is enough to get you started, but if you get serious about homemade sausages you can invest in a sausage machine or an attachment to your food processor.
Homemade Cumberland Sausages Recipe
Ingredients
450g / 1lb pork shoulder
450g / 1lb pork belly without the rind
50g / 2oz white breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of mace
pinch dried marjoram
pinch sage
pinch cayenne pepper
sausage casings
The meat should be fridge cold before you start. Chop the meat into cubes then mince or process the meat coarsely, until it has the texture of the beef mince that you buy in the shops. Don’t over-process it: you don’t want a smooth paste.
Mix in the breadcrumbs and the herbs and spices, salt and pepper.
To check you like the flavour, and don’t need more salt or pepper, take a small piece of the mixture and fry it, so that you can taste it before stuffing the sausage casings.
Stuff the meat into the sausage casings, either using a piping bag or funnel, or else a machine. It is easier if you start off with lengths of casing no longer than a metre. Gather the casing on to the nozzle of the piping bag before you start and don’t forget to tie the end of the casing! Make sure that there are no air bubbles and that the sausage is firmly but not over-stuffed. Rest the sausage for several hours before cooking to let the flavours develop. Cumberland sausage is traditionally cooked in a coil, rather than individual sausages, so you don’t need to twist it into shorter lengths unless you want to.
Note:
Sausages do need a certain proportion of fat in them for succulence and flavour, so don’t be tempted to use only lean meat, which would end up with rather dry and unappetizing sausages. The ideal proportion is 50% fat meat such as belly pork and 50% lean meat, as in this Cumberland sausage recipe.
Making your own home-made sausages sound like too much hassle? Why not go out and eat the great British banger at one of the fine British restaurants in Nottingham on a map.
Delicious Chutney Recipe
Chutney recipes of all fruits and flavours make a plate of cold meats sing, bring life to a plain cheese sandwich, enliven a cold pie. Coming from the Indian tradition of a spiced fruit of vegetable accompaniment, the colonial British took it home and made it their own, using it as a way of preserving fruit and vegetables and bringing a little variety to the table.
You can make chutney with green tomatoes, plums, mangos, apples, onions, courgettes, and any combinations you can think of; the list goes on and on. The common factor is that they are cooked up with vinegar, sugar and some sort of spice to preserve them and add flavour. If you’ve never made chutney before start off with this easy green tomato chutney recipe and then start inventing your own chutneys.
Recipe for Green Tomato Chutney
Ingredients
1 kg / 2.2lbs green tomatoes
3 medium apples
400g / 1lb shallots or onions
125 g / 4oz raisins
2cm / 1inch root ginger
3 red chillies
500g / 1.1lb soft brown sugar
500ml / 2 cups malt vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
Wash your green tomatoes and get rid of any bruised or bad bits.
Peel and lightly crush the ginger with a rolling pin, so it is still in one piece but a bit squashed. Wash the chillies. Tie the ginger and chillies in a muslin bag, so that you can easily remove them after cooking the chutney.
Peel the onions and quarter and core the apples.
Chop or process the apples, onions and green tomatoes so that they are well chopped up but not mushy. You want a chunky texture to your chutney.
Use a large heavy based pan. Put the chopped vegetables in with the vinegar, sugar and raisins and stir together. Add the bag with the ginger and chilli. Bring the whole pot to the boil, stirring often to make sure the sugar dissolves and doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
When it comes to the boil, turn the heat down to a low simmer. Cook for 1-2 hours, stirring from time to time. The chutney is ready when it is soft and jam-like and there is no excess vinegar liquid left. Discard the ginger and chillies.
Spoon the chutney into warm sterilized jars and seal tightly.
Other great chutney combinations:
Plum, apple and tomato chutney
Mango chutney spiced with mustard seeds and chilli
Apple and onion chutney with coriander and mixed spice
Feel like spicing up your evening? Get some authentic Indian food at Chutney restaurant in Nottingham.
Yummy Thai Red Curry Recipe
When it comes to quick and satisfying meals a Thai red curry has to be at the top of the list. Fragrant spices, creamy sauce and tender chicken or prawns can be on the table in twenty minutes and are so full of flavour that you feel like you’ve eaten out in a restaurant for very little effort.
Thai red curry paste is easy enough to make at home in a food processor and will reward you with a fresher and more intense flavour, but you can buy a jar of good ready made paste if you want to make things even quicker.
Recipe for Thai Red Curry
Ingredients
For the thai red curry paste
3 shallots
3 cloves of garlic
3 long red chillies, deseeded
2cm / 1 inch piece of root ginger, peeled
juice and zest of 1 lime
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 stalk lemon grass
For the thai red curry
400g tin coconut milk
3-4 chicken breasts
300g vegetables: mushrooms, green beans, carrots or courgettes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
fresh coriander
Make the thai red curry paste, by roughly chopping larger ingredients and then putting everything in the processor and blitzing to a smooth paste.
Chop the chicken into bite sized pieces. Slice or chop the vegetables into even pieces that will cook quickly.
Heat the oil in a large pan or wok and fry the paste for a few minutes stirring until you can smell the fragrance rising from the pan. Add the coconut milk. When it is just boiling add the chicken pieces and simmer for five minutes, then add the vegetables and simmer till the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender but not too soft. Serve with rice and a garnish of fresh coriander
Other suggestions for red thai curries:
Use 200g peeled prawns instead of the chicken
For vegetarians use a combination of potatoes, butternut squash, green beans and mushrooms.
Want to taste an authentic thai red curry before you cook your own? Try the Thai cuisine at restaurants in Nottingham.
Simple Lamb Stew Recipe
A rich and tasty lamb stew is perfect fare for cold winter’s evenings. Easy to cook, the only thing you need to remember is to give it plenty of time to cook, so the meat is tender and falling apart and the juices have thickened to a flavoursome gravy. If you have a slow cooker you can start your lamb stew off before you go to work and come back to find it ready for the final touches. If you don’t you can cook it the night before and just reheat it when you get back from work. With a whole day for the flavours to develop it will taste even better.
This recipe has a layer of potatoes cooked on top of the lamb stew, so needs nothing more than a few steamed vegetables to accompany it, for a satisfying and healthy winter meal.
Recipe for Lamb Stew
Ingredients
750g / 1lb lamb neck fillet
25g / 1oz plain flour
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions
2 cloves garlic lightly crushed
2 carrots
1 bayleaf
2 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
½ cup white or red wine
2 cups hot water or stock
3-4 medium sized potatoes
Cut the meat into 2.5cm / 1inch cubes. Season the flour with the salt and pepper, then toss the meat cubes in it till they are lightly covered.
In a heavy based casserole, heat the oil and brown the meat on all sides. You will probably need to do it in two batches, so the pan isn’t overcrowded. Once it is brown put it aside on a warm plate.
Slice the onions and fry them in the same casserole, scraping up any meat residue with them and cook till they start to soften. Add the chopped carrots and the garlic and cook for another couple of minutes.
Pour in the wine and allow to bubble for a minute, then return the lamb stew to the casserole and add hot water to cover. Drop in the herbs and adjust the heat to a gently simmer.
Slice the potatoes into slices. Arrange the potato slices in overlapping circles on top so that they completely cover the stew. Cook covered for an hour in a low oven 120C/250F, and then for another 45 minutes, uncovered by which time the potatoes should be tender and have started to colour. If they look a bit pale but are cooked you can give them a few minutes under the grill to brown them up a bit. The same goes for using a slow cooker: just dot the potatoes with a little butter and brown them under the grill to give them a lovely crispy finish.
Feeling too hungry to wait around for a lamb stew to cook? Why not eat out and discover the delicious food at The Lord Nelson restaurant in Nottingham.
Club Sandwich Recipe
A triple decker sandwich bursting at the seams with meat and salad, the club sandwich is a meal in itself. Those who find its towering stack of toast and filling unwieldy, will be relieved to know that originally the club sandwich started off as a more conventional two slice of toast construction, albeit still stuffed with several layers of turkey, bacon and salad.
The true origins of the club sandwich are lost in the mists of legends about exclusive New York gambling clubs and so on, but almost all agree that the essential components are toasted bread, mayonnaise, chicken or turkey, crisp bacon, lettuce and tomato. That said, there is no reason why you shouldn’t vary the ingredients according to what you have at hand and fill your sandwich with whatever you like. However chicken and bacon are a match made in heaven, so this recipe will stick with the traditional fillings.
Recipe for a Traditional Club Sandwich
Ingredients for two
Six pieces of bread
Several slices of cold chicken or turkey
4 rashers of crispy cooked bacon
1 ripe tomato sliced thin
several leaves of fresh cos lettuce washed and dried
mayonnaise
salt and pepper
Lightly toast your bread.
Spread each piece of toast with mayonnaise. Use two pieces as your foundation and add a layer of chicken slices, season with salt and pepper and then put lettuce on top. Top with your next pieces of toast. Put on your next layer of crispy bacon and then top that with thin slices of tomato. Close your sandwiches with the final pieces of toast.
A club sandwich is often held together with cocktail stick to stop them falling apart, so if you plan on cutting them into smaller triangles, first skewer each triangle with a cocktail stick before you cut carefully with a bread knife.
Variations on the club sandwich recipe
Mash some avocado with a little creme fraiche and include that in the bacon layer for extra creamy texture.
Just use two pieces of toast per sandwich but stack the fillings as above for a succulent sandwich.
A vegetarian club sandwich can be great with a selection of roasted vegetables and mushrooms replacing the meats and a layer of hummus too.
Feel like lunching out on more than just a sandwich? Choose from some of the best restaurants in Nottingham.
Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe
Sweet and sour chicken is a top favourite of the Chinese takeaway aficionado; tender chicken coated in light batter and served with that tantalizing sweet sour sauce and some crunchy stir fried vegetables. If your family loves sweet and sour chicken it is easy enough to make at home and then you can choose exactly which vegetables to use.
Once you have made a sweet and sour sauce you can use it for other dishes too, as a dip or with other stir fry recipes and you can vary it until you have exactly the sweet/sour ratio that you like best
Recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken
Ingredients
3 skinless boneless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
groundnut oil for deep-frying
85g / 3oz plain flour
1 tablspoon cornflour
½ teaspoon fine salt
200ml chilled sparkling mineral water
1 red pepper sliced
1 large carrot cut into batons
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger root
1 quantity sweet and sour sauce from the recipe below
Cut the chicken into bite-size chunks and mix together with the soy sauce and sesame oil. Get the oil ready in a deep pan or deep fryer and set it to heat.
Make the tempura batter just as you are ready to cook: quickly sift the flour, cornflour and salt together in a large bowl, then whisk in the sparkling mineral water until all is combined. It doesn’t matter if there are still a few lumps, don’t overbeat it. Use it immediately.
Dip a few pieces of chicken into the batter and then put in the hot oil straight away using a slotted spoon or tongs. Fry for two minutes until golden and crisp. You will have to do this in several batches, so as not to overcrowd the pan. Lift each batch out onto a paper lined plate to drain and keep warm.
Heat a wok then put about 3 tablespoons of oil in and stir fry the carrots, pepper, garlic and ginger for three minutes or so. Pour the sweet and sour sauce in and keep stir frying until the sauce has thickened and is light and glossy. Briefly toss the cooked chicken pieces with the sauce and serve on a bed of rice.
Sweet and Sour Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
1 tablespoon soft brown sugar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons rice wine or dry sherry
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
125 ml / ½ cup chicken stock or water
1 tablespoon tomato puree or tomato ketchup
2 tablespoons cornflour
Blend together all the ingredients. Bring to the boil in a small saucepan and simmer until the mixture thickens. If you are using this as part of the sweet and sour chicken recipe you don’t need to cook this separately, but can add the blended ingredients straight into the stir fry. Use this recipe as a guide to work out you own favourite sweet and sour sauce; you might like it sweeter or with more tomato.
Feel like eating sweet and sour chicken or other Chinese food cooked by the professionals tonight? Try one of the great Chinese restaurants in Nottingham.
Recipe for Pea and Ham Soup
Thick, warming winter soups are a lifesaver on cold evenings after work. Cook yourself up a batch of this hearty split pea and ham soup on the weekend, so that you can have a satisfying supper ready ten minutes after you walk through the door.
A smoked ham hock or ham knuckle will give a wonderfully intense smoky flavour to this soup and the small amounts of meat can be flaked into the soup at the end. If you happen to have cooked a whole gammon for your Sunday lunch, you can use the stock left from that to cook the soup with and some leftover meat for the texture.
Split Pea and Ham Soup Recipe
Ingredients
Smoked gammon knuckle or hock (about 1 kg or so)
500g / 1lb yellow split peas
3 onions
3 carrots
3 stalks celery
2 bay leaves
3 litres water or stock
chopped parsley to garnish
salt and pepper
Chop the onions, carrots and celery. Put them all in a big pot with the gammon knuckle, split peas and bay leaves. Cover with the water or stock and bring to the boil. Keep an eye on it at this stage and skim off any froth that rises to the surface.
Simmer gently for 2 hours, skimming off any more froth as necessary. Check for saltiness before seasoning, as smoked hams can be quite salty already.
Take the knuckle out and shred the meat. Put it aside to return to the soup later. Leave out any fat or skin.
Process half of the soup in a blender then return it to the pan. Add the shredded meat and reheat gently. Serve garnished with a little chopped parsley and accompanied by some crusty bread and butter.
The pea and ham soup can be refrigerated for several days or frozen, so will provide several good suppers for two, or one meal for 6-8 people.
Want more than just soup and bread tonight? Why not enjoy a hearty meal at The Wollaton restaurant in Nottingham.
Beef Stir Fry Recipe
Quick, versatile and easy, a beef stir-fry is great for weekday suppers, when you have no time for complicated dishes. You can make it with whatever fresh vegetables you have available: red peppers, mangetout, carrots, courgettes and mushrooms all make for nutritious and tasty combinations with the lean beef.
The important thing to remember with beef stir fry is that you should use a good cut of lean meat. The meat is marinated before cooking to tenderize it, but no amount of marinating will making stewing meat tender enough for the quick cooking of a stir fry, so go for beef fillet or shoulder steak.
Recipe for Beef Stir-fry
Ingredients
450g / 1lb lean beef steak
2 teaspoons rice wine or dry sherry
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons cornflour
salt and pepper
1 red or green pepper
200g mangetout or other green vegetables
3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
150ml stock or water
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
Slice the beef thinly into 5cm slices. Combine the soy sauce, rice wine or sherry, sesame oil, cornflour and a seasoning of salt and pepper in a bowl and toss the beef slices in it. Leave to marinade while you prepare the vegetables: 20-30 minutes is best.
Slice the peppers into thin strips about 5 cm long. Cut your other vegetables into similar sized strips, sticks or slices.
When you are ready to cook, heat a wok or large frying pan over a high heat. Pour in the peanut oil and when it smokes slightly, take the beef out of the marinade and put it into the pan. Stir fry for three minutes until it is cooked through.
Using a slotted spoon remove the beef from the pan onto a warm plate. Add the sliced vegetables to the wok and stir fry for two minutes over a high heat. Add the stock or water and the oyster sauce and bring to a simmer. Tip the beef back into the pan and stir well so it warms through again.
Serve immediately with plain steamed or boiled rice.
In the mood for an authentic Chinese beef stir-fry? Eat out at Oriental Pearl restaurant in Nottingham.
Apple Crumble Recipe
There’s no more satisfying dessert than a really good apple crumble with custard to finish off a Sunday lunch. Fruit crumbles can be made with all sorts of fruit: plums, pears, rhubarb and even peaches, but an apple crumble is the best of all. It can be made easily from the standard ingredients you have in the cupboard, so is perfect when you have last minute guests to lunch and need to throw together a pudding quickly.
Traditional crumble topping is made with just flour, butter and sugar, but you can improvise by adding oats or muesli and even ground almonds for a richer apple crumble. However you can’t beat the traditional plain crumble for simplicity, a satisfying foil to the juicy apples and creamy custard.
Recipe for Apple Crumble
Ingredients
1kg / 2.2lbs granny smith or bramley apples
100g / 4oz caster sugar (less if the apples are sweet)
juice of half an orange (about 1 tablespoon or so)
pinch cinnamon
100g / 4oz butter chilled
150g / 5oz plain flour
75g / 3oz demerara sugar
Preheat the oven to 180C / 375F.
Make the crumble topping first. Dice the chilled butter into the flour. Rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture looks like fine crumbs. Stir in the sugar. Chill in the fridge while you prepare the fruit.
Peel and core the apples and cut into slices or chunks. Toss them with the caster sugar, pinch of cinnamon and orange juice.
Butter a 1.5 litre ovenproof dish or roasting tin.
Pile the fruit into the dish and then spread the crumble topping over the top, so that all the fruit is covered.
Bake for 40 minutes or so, until the topping is golden and the fruit is sizzling.
Give it ten or more minutes to cool before serving with custard, cream or ice-cream.
Variations on the filling
Substitute some of the apple for blackberries in season, for a really luscious crumble.
Add a handful of raisins to the apple.
Plums and pears work well combined with apple too. Just use half and half.
Variations on the topping
After rubbing in the butter to the flour add 75g / 3oz of oats, muesli or ground almonds to the topping.
Add spices to your crumble topping: try ginger, cinnamon or nutmeg according to your own tastes.
Want to taste some other classic British puddings? Why not visit Lambs at the Market restaurant in Nottingham.
Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipe
Who doesn’t love chocolate chip muffins?! Luscious chocolate chips embedded meltingly in springy moist muffin to turn a cup of coffee into a mid-morning feast. The great thing about muffins is that they are quick and easy to make too. No long creaming and folding processes, just combine the wet ingredients and stir in the dry and it doesn’t matter if the mixture is lumpy, in fact it’s supposed to be.
These chocolate chip muffins are great for kids and adults alike, but you can always vary the chocolate chips you use, mixing in some white chocolate or even Smarties for kids and really good dark chocolate for chocoholic adults.
Recipe for Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
250g / 8oz plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
175g / 6oz caster sugar
150g dark chocolate cut into chips
250ml / 1 cup milk
90ml / 1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F. Line a 12 muffin tin with paper cases.
Sift together plain flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cocoa powder in a large bowl and mix in the sugar and chocolate chips.
Beat together the milk, oil, egg and vanilla extract in another bowl.
Mix the wet ingredients into the dry, stirring until just mixed. Take care not to overmix or your muffins will turn out dry; it doesn’t matter if there are lumpy bits in the mixture.
Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases and bake for 20 minutes until the chocolate chip muffins are springy and a toothpick comes out clean.
These are delicious warm from the oven, when the chocolate chips will have melted into gooey luxury. This is a great recipe for kids to bake for themselves, as it is really easy to do and they will love the results.
Variations on the chocolate muffins recipe:
If all this indulgence fills you with pangs of guilt, you can always use half wholewheat flour and half plain flour.
As well as the chocolate chips you can add nuts to your muffins: walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, whatever you like best.
For a slightly warm spicy flavour, instead of the vanilla extract add ½ teaspoon of cinnamon or mixed spice to the dry ingredients.
Feel like a tea-time extravaganza without baking yourself? Indulge yourself with tea and cakes at Belle and Jerome restaurant in Beeston, Nottingham.
Greek Salad Recipe
A simple summer salad made with the freshest of ingredients is all you need for lunch on a hot summer day, with maybe some crusty bread to mop up the juices. This Greek salad recipe is quick and easy to make and very refreshing, the salty feta cheese contrasting perfectly with the sweetness of really ripe tomatoes.
An authentic Greek salad has to be made with good fresh, ripe ingredients to be successful. Look for organically grown tomatoes for the best flavour and don’t bother making this salad in winter, as the flavour will be a pale shadow of what it should be.
If you want to be really authentic, try and get real Greek feta cheese and Greek extra virgin olive oil. Dressing a Greek salad is simple; all you do is drizzle the oil over the salad and toss it briefly. The tomatoes provide the acidic counter-balance, so there is no need for vinegar or lemon juice.
Recipe for Greek Salad
Ingredients
½ red onion
½ a cucumber
2 large ripe tomatoes
fresh oregano
100g / 3oz feta cheese
70g / 2oz black kalamata olives
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
Slice the red onion thinly. Slice or dice the cucumber. Cut the tomatoes into dice or chunks. Roughly tear the oregano leaves into the salad.
Dice the feta cheese.
Assemble all the ingredients in a bowl, then drizzle the olive oil over it and toss the salad.
Lettuce isn’t usually part of an authentic Greek salad, but you can use it to decorate your bowl as a garnish, or heap the salad on top of a nest of leaves.
Other ingredients you might want to add to your Greek salad:
Capers (typical of Santorini)
Mint and parsley instead of the oregano
Red pepper
Green pepper
Lemon juice or wine vinegar, if your tomatoes lack flavour and juice.
Alternative serving suggestion:
Make a container of this Greek salad for a picnic, then serve it in pita bread pockets as a fresh and tasty sandwich. Don’t forget to pit your olives if you serve it like this, so there are no teeth damaged on olive stones!
Feeling like experiencing an authentic Greek restaurant in Nottingham? Why not eat out at Eviva Taverna restaurant in Nottingham.
