Beef and Tomato Pasta Shells

Pasta is a very common and healthy food item but is of course extremely bland without an accompanying and appropriate sauce. I prepared this beef and tomato pasta recipe for my dinner last night and found it to be absolutely delicious.

Ingredients (Serves Two)

1/2lb minced or ground beef
1 7oz can chopped tomatoes in tomato juice
2 garlic cloves (crushed or very finely chopped)
2 cups of pasta shells
5 or 6 basil leaves (chopped) plus one extra to garnish
2 tsp grated or shredded cheddar or other hard cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

Put the minced or ground beef in to a pot and brown it completely over a medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. This process should take two or three minutes. Add the garlic and the chopped tomatoes, bring up to the boil then turn the heat down until the sauce is at a low simmer. Cover and leave to cook, stirring occasionally.

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and add the pasta. Turn the heat down until the water is but simmering and cook for the period of time stipulated on the packet, stirring occasionally. Please note that it is a myth that adding oil to the water will prevent the pasta shells or any other type of pasta from sticking together. As most schoolchildren know, oil and water do not mix and the oil will simply form in a layer on top of the water. All this will achieve is to waste some perhaps very expensive oil!

A couple of minutes before the pasta is ready, stir the basil in to the sauce and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

When the pasta is ready, drain it well and put it on to two plates. Spoon the sauce on top and garnish with the cheese and remaining basil.

Bacon and Egg? - for Dinner???

Bacon and egg is of course a very popular combination. It is eaten frequently for breakfast, brunch, or even lunch - but how often do you have bacon and egg for dinner? Not very often? Never, more likely!

As you will see, however, the bacon and egg combination here is a little bit different from the normal breakfast serving method and I can assure you does provide a very tasty and satisfying evening meal.

Ingredients

4 rashers of bacon
3 eggs
1 small tomato (de-seeded and roughly chopped)
1 cherry tomato for garnish
1oz cheddar or other hard cheese (grated or shredded)
3 medium sized basil leaves (roughly chopped) plus one small one for garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Small knob of butter for frying

Method

Break the three eggs in to a bowl, season with salt and pepper and beat or whisk moderately well. Melt the butter gently in a small, non-stick frying pan and add the egg mixture, turning the heat up to medium. As soon as the eggs are in the pan, put the bacon under the grill to cook.

In the early stages of the eggs cooking, use a spatula to draw the mix in from the edges towards the centre all the way around. Desist from this process once the eggs begin to set, or scrambled eggs will be the result.

Once the eggs can be seen to be almost fully set, turn the bacon under the grill then carefully add the filling to the omelette, on one half only as shown in the picture. Add the tomato, followed by the cheese and finally the basil.

Very carefully, fold the untopped half of the omelette over on top of the half containing the filling and plate up your meal.

NB There are a couple of points I should perhaps mention with regards to this recipe.

1) It is of course down to personal preference but I have found that there is no form of cooking oil which is a worthwhile substitute for butter when making an omelette. Please also never consider using oil-based spreads instead of butter. These spreads are not designed for cooking with.

2) You may notice something strange about the cherry tomato I have used in this recipe. It is of a little known variety called black tomatoes. They are not widely available - but fortunately I simply took one off the vine in the greenhouse!

Cheesey Pork Fillet with Garlic Roast Potatoes

The most important thing to remember when cooking pork is that it must never be underdone. Just like chicken and unlike such as beef, pork must be cooked all the way through to eliminate the risk of food poisoning. This recipe includes first cooking the pork and then adding a delicious cheese and sage topping as a finishing touch.

Ingredients

1 pork leg fillet
1 large potato (unpeeled and chopped)
1 tbsp frozen peas
1 clove of garlic (crushed)
1oz cheddar (or other hard) cheese (grated or shredded)
Pinch of dried sage
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp sunflower oil and a little more for frying

Method

Place a baking tray in to the oven and put the oven on to preheat to 400F/200C/Gas Mark 6. Chop the potato in to bite-sized portions and put them in a large bowl with the sunflower oil and some salt. Swirl them around to ensure even coating with the oil and salt. Tip the potatoes on to the preheated baking tray and put them in to the oven for a total of thirty minutes, taking them out to give them a gentle shake and ensure even cooking every ten minutes. Set the bowl aside (unwashed) for later use.

When the potatoes have been on for ten minutes, put a little sunflower in a non-stick frying pan and bring it up to a medium heat. Fry the pork fillet gently for ten minutes each side or until done. Set aside to rest.

When the fillet is cooked, the potatoes should have about five minutes to go. Add the garlic to the unwashed bowl then remove the potatoes from the oven and add them also to the bowl. Swirl or stir them in the garlic mix to cover them, then return to the tray and the oven for five more minutes. Adding the garlic at this late stage prevents it from becoming over-cooked and tasting bitter.

Mix the cheese with the sage and some freshly ground black pepper. Carefully press the mix down on top of the pork fillet and place the fillet on to a grill pan and under a hot grill until the cheese melts and begins to bubble.

The frozen peas should be cooked per the instructions on the packet, usually by boiling them in water for two to three minutes.

Plate up your meal as shown and serve immediately.

Gammon Steak with Baked Potato and Pineapple, Basil and Garlic Soured Cream

When I decided over the weekend to have a gammon steak one night, I only briefly had to consider what I would like to accompany it. I had been working on healthy baked potato recipes, so a baked potato it would be. As I was buying pineapple anyway to accompany the gammon steak, the rest - as they say - is history.

Ingredients

1 gammon steak
1 large baking potato
2 rings of pineapple (if using canned, ensure that they are in pineapple juice)
1 small cherry tomato
1 tbsp low fat soured cream
1 clove of garlic (crushed)
2 large basil leaves (finely chopped or torn)
2 small basil leaves (for garnish)

Method

As a great many will know from bitter experience, one of the frequent drawbacks when baking a potato is that either the core remains hard when the remainder is ready or the skin is dry and wrinkled when the potato has been cooked all the way through. I have a method for baking potatoes which eliminates both these concerns.

The oven should first of all be put on to preheat to 400F/200C/Gas Mark 6. The potato should then be washed and dried. Prick the potato a few times with a fork. A long metal skewer should then be carefully inserted through the centre of the potato lengthwise (as shown) and the potato loosely wrapped and sealed in aluminium foil. Place the foil package on a baking tray and in to the oven for one hour and fifteen minutes. Essentially, the heat will be conducted along the metal skewer and in to the centre of the potato, ensuring even cooking.

When the potato is in the oven, it is time to prepare the filling. Simply mix the soured cream, garlic, basil and one of the pineapple rings (finely chopped) together in a small bowl. Cover with clingfilm and refrigerate until required.

When the baked potato is done, remove the tray from the oven with protective gloves and (still wearing the gloves!) gently squeeze and massage the potato to fluff up the centre. Sit it back on the tray, still wrapped in the foil, and set it aside while you grill your gammon steak.

The fat or rind should be left on the steak while you cook it but can be removed later. Grill under a medium to hot grill for about seven to eight minutes. Ensure the steak is fully cooked then serve as shown in the photograph at the top of this article.

Healthy Steak, Egg and Chips

What does the meal described as, "Steak, Egg and Chips," conjure up in your mind? Does it cast up images of a greasy fried egg, a cremated steak and chips (french fries) fried in saturated animal fat? I am sure it will for many but this is a healthy steak, egg and chips recipe and below I have described how to make it in detail.

Ingredients

1 fillet or sirloin steak
1 large potato (unpeeled)
1 egg
4 small closed cup mushrooms (halved)
1 clove of garlic (crushed or very finely chopped)
1 tsp chopped coriander (cilantro) or basil for garnish
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sunflower oil (plus a little more for frying the steak)
Generous splash of white wine vinegar
Salt

Method

Put the oven on to preheat to 400F/200C/Gas Mark 6 with a large baking sheet inside. Slice and then chop the potato in to chips (large french fries.) Put the tablespoon of sunflower oil in to a large bowl and season with salt. Add the chips and stir them around carefully to ensure even coating. Place the chips on to the hot baking sheet and in to the oven for thirty minutes, taking the tray out and giving it a gentle shake around every ten minutes.

When the chips have been on for around twenty minutes, put a large pan of water on to boil for poaching the egg. Add a little sunflower oil to a non-stick frying pan and bring it up to a high heat. Fry the steak for a minute or two each side (depending upon thickness and preference) at the highest heat possible before removing the pan from the heat and setting it aside for the steak to rest.

Break the egg in to a small cup or bowl, careful not to damage the yolk. Add the white wine vinegar to the boiling water and stir reasonably quickly to create a whirlpool effect. Stop stirring and quickly deposit the egg in the centre of the whirlpool. Reduce the heat until the water is gently simmering and poach for three or four minutes.

Add the olive oil to a small non-stick saucepan. Bring up to a medium heat and add the garlic, then after about thirty seconds the mushrooms, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Cook for two minutes.

Remove the chips from the oven and put them on to a plate, followed by the rested steak. Remove the poached egg from the liquid with a slotted spoon and allow to dry well before sitting it atop the steak. Add the garlic mushrooms to the plate, garnish the egg with the fresh herb and serve.

Healthy Beef Chilli

Beef Chilli is of course a very popular dish but so often there are a great many unnecessary and unhealthy ingredients incorporated within it. This version eliminates those ingredients but still produces a delicious and healthy meal to be enjoyed by all the family.

Ingredients (Serves Two)

1lb ground or minced beef
1 large white onion (finely chopped)
1 green and 1 red bell pepper (de-seeded and sliced)
4 large garlic cloves (crushed or very finely chopped)
1 14oz can chopped tomatoes in tomato juice
1 14oz can red kidney beans in water
3 small red birds' eye chilli peppers (de-seeded and finely chopped)
1 tsp ground cumin seeds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaf/cilantro (plus a little extra for garnishing)

4oz basmati rice for serving upon

Method

In a large, dry pot, brown the beef, stirring well with a wooden spoon to ensure even cooking. Wash the red kidney beans thoroughly in a colander under running water before adding all the remaining ingredients - bar the coriander/cilantro and the rice - to the pot. Bring up to a gentle simmer and allow to cook in this way for about forty-five minutes.

The rice should be timed to be ready with the chilli and cooked dependant upon the instructions on the packet. The chopped coriander/cilantro should be stirred through the chilli immediately prior to serving with the little left over used as a garnish.

Hearty Chicken Broth

I am of course aware that soup is normally considered but one course of a dinner, rather than as being a dinner in itself. This thick and hearty chicken broth, however, served with some crusty bread, can more than suffice as a meal in itself.

Ingredients

4 pints of fresh (or defrosted) chicken stock
1 leek stem (sliced across ways in to 1/4" thick discs)
2 carrots (1 roughly chopped, 1 grated)
Handful of chicken pieces (if available)
4oz basmati rice
2 tbsp frozen peas
Handful of fresh parsley (roughly chopped)
Salt and pepper to season

Method

Heat the stock in a large soup pot until it comes to a simmer. Add all the ingredients except the parsley and peas and simmer for half an hour. Add the parsley and peas and continue to simmer for another five minutes only, before serving up bowlfuls of this hearty and delicious chicken broth.

Chicken Salad on French Toast

If you fancy just a light dinner some evening, this chicken salad on French toast could be the perfect option. Alternatively, it could be made in larger quantities to provide a more substantial meal.

The chicken leg and thigh meat works best in this salad, or even the scraps of meat which were picked off the carcass.

Ingredients (Per Person)

Meat from one chicken leg and thigh
Two slices of bread
1 egg
1 handful of green salad leaves of choice
2 tsp horseradish sauce
Sunflower oil for frying

Method

Cut a disc as large as possible from each slice of bread with a cutter or large drinking glass. Add a little sunflower oil to a non-stick frying pan and bring up to a medium heat. Beat the egg and dip the bread discs in to it until they are thoroughly coated before frying for a couple of minutes each side.

Place the discs of French toast on a plate and spread each with a tsp of horseradish sauce. Add the salad leaves and the chicken and serve.

Really Simple Sweet and Sour Chicken

Do you love sweet and sour chicken? Have you often wondered how Sweet and Sour Sauce is made? Perhaps you have looked at the ingredients of same in a supermarket and been horrified and put off by the number of strange sounding substances, such as monosodium glutamate? Alternatively, maybe you have looked up Sweet and Sour recipes online or in a cookbook and been put off by the lengthy list of ingredients and the complex sounding preparation procedure?

This recipe for Really Simple Sweet and Sour Chicken has but three ingredients in the sauce. It is simple, delicious and easy - I promise. This recipe is for two people and incorporates the two breast fillets from our chicken, prepared in the previous post.

Ingredients

2 chicken breast fillets (pre-cooked)
4oz basmati rice
1 small can of crushed pineapple in pineapple juice - about 8oz
1 small can of chopped tomatoes in tomato juice - about 8oz
1 tbsp dark soy sauce

Method

Open the cans of pineapple and tomato and pour the contents of both in to a small saucepan. Add the tbsp of dark soy sauce. Bring to a simmer and continue to simmer for around twenty minutes, until a thick, lush sauce is formed, stirring frequently. Do not add sugar, salt or any other form of seasoning - it is not necessary.

Different cooking instructions are provided on different types of basmati rice but the type which I purchase usually requires that it be boiled in a large pan of water for twelve minutes. Remember to rinse the rice in cold water first and put it on that it will be ready at the same time as the sauce.

Slice the chicken breasts and when the rice is ready, drain it well and arrange the sliced chicken on top. The sauce can then either be spooned over the chicken or arranged as a moat in the picture included in this post.

What Should I Have for Dinner Tonight?...Not Chicken Again, Surely?

What do you like most about chicken? I have no doubt that many people - even some who love chicken very much - may have to think about their answer to this question. For me, there is no need to do so: I love chicken most of all for its quite incredible versatility. There are so many ways in which we can cook and prepare chicken that entire cookbooks have been produced on this one foodstuff.

In this post, I am going to begin the process of exploring just how much value we can get out of one chicken, in terms of the number of meals or dishes it can provide for us, even over the course of two days or more. I hope to look at some original ideas over the course of the next few posts to this blog for ways of serving the chicken.

In this instance, I am poaching the chicken but it could of course be such as roasted (as elsewhere on this blog.) I know that many people think poaching a chicken either makes the meat very dry or does not create the best flavour but if it is poached correctly, it can be quite delicious.

I always buy free range and if possible, organic chicken. Yes, it is more expensive, but I truly believe that the difference in quality justifies the additional expense. When buying a chicken for poaching, also ensure that you do not buy one which will not fit in to your biggest pot!

I begin by placing the chicken in to the pot and then adding one chopped onion, one chopped carrot and three or four cloves of roughly chopped garlic. I then add boiling water up to about an inch below the rim of the pot, ensuring that the whole chicken is covered. I then bring the water back to the boil and let it simmer gently for an hour to an hour and a quarter, depending on the size of the chicken. As always, ensure that the chicken is fully cooked by checking that the juices run clear when you remove it from the pot.

I usually cover the chicken and allow it to cool for half an hour to an hour before attempting to carve it and chop it up. This makes the process much easier! I then cut off the legs and thighs and the wings, before very carefully slicing the two entire breast fillets off. These six portions, I use in different ways. Don't forget also to pull the remaining bits of flesh off the chicken, which can also be incorporated very effectively in many dishes. Remember to refrigerate the chicken not used on day one and use it the following day.

The chicken stock should be sieved to remove the pieces of vegetable and then allowed to cool before being refrigerated for use the next day, or even put in the deep freeze for later use.

In my next posts, I will begin looking at the many ways in which we can go on to use the chicken pieces we now have prepared.

Bacon and Tomato Pizza Omelette Recipe

I call this a pizza omelette quite simply because it is made in a very similar fashion to an omelette but can easily be cut in to wedges and eaten like a pizza! There are of course an endless variety of different minor ingredients which can be used in it but the principal ones in this instance are ham and tomato.

Ingredients

3 large, free range, organic eggs
3 rashers of bacon
1 large tomato
2 tbsp cold water
1 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs
2oz cheddar cheese
2 large basil leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

Crack the eggs in to a bowl and add the water. Beat thoroughly with a fork or whisk then add the breadcrumbs and seasoning and stir well.

Roughly chop the bacon and add it to a dry, non-stick frying pan. Bring gently up to a heat and the melting fat from the bacon will eliminate any need for such as butter or oil. Fry the bacon gently until cooked, then add the de-seeded and roughly chopped tomato. Fry for another minute or two until the tomato is cooked.

Spread the bacon and tomato as evenly as you can over the bottom of the pan and gently pour over the egg mix. Put your grill on to pre-heat to maximum and gently cook the omelette on a medium heat (still on the stove or hob at this stage) until you can see that it is almost fully set.

Tear the basil leaves in to small pieces and scatter over the almost set omelette before placing the pan under your hot grill. Grate or shred your cheese.

When the omelette is set and has risen slightly due to the yeast in the breadcrumbs, scatter the cheese over the top and place back under the grill just long enough until the cheese is melted.

Grilled Leg of Lamb Steak on Garlic Sweet Potato Mash

Those who know me from other sites around the Web will probably know that lamb is my favourite meat. I adore lamb cooked in so many different ways, with so many different ingredients. As sweet potatoes are probably my favourite vegetable - as well as being one of the most nutritious of all vegetables - this is a recipe which I love to make on a frequent basis.

The quantities described below are per person.

Ingredients

1 leg of lamb steak
1 large sweet potato
1 clove of garlic
2 tbsp of frozen peas
Salt, black pepper and malt vinegar to season

Method

Peel and chop the sweet potatoes in to pieces about one inch cubed. Put them in to a large pan of salted water and simmer for a total of twenty minutes.

When the sweet potatoes have been on for five minutes, place the leg of lamb steak under a medium to hot grill and cook for seven minutes each side.

The peas should be placed in a pan of boiling water two to three minutes before the sweet potatoes are due to be ready (see individual packet for details.)

When the lamb is ready, take it out of the oven and place it on a plate, covering it with aluminium foil to rest for a few minutes. Drain the peas well and season with freshly ground black pepper and malt vinegar to taste. Drain the sweet potatoes and mash them with the crushed clove of garlic. Arrange the sweet potato and garlic mash in a circle on a plate, surround with the peas and place the leg of lamb steak on top.

Delicious!

Pan Fried Salmon Fillet with Dill Cream Sauce

Salmon is one of my favourite types of fish. It can be expensive, however, especially if we are fortunate enough to have the chance to buy wild salmon, which are of course under threat today in so many ways. It is vital, therefore, when we are cooking salmon, that we do not overcook it. Like tuna, salmon should retain that under-cooked, moist centre when we put it on the plate.

The quantities in this delicious recipe are stated per person.

Ingredients

1 salmon loin fillet (skin on - this is very important)
2 medium potatoes
3 or 4 florets of broccoli
2 tbsp double cream (use heavy cream in the USA)
1 large pinch of dried dill weed
1 small garlic clove (optional)
2 tsp plain flour
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Butter and sunflower oil for frying

Method

The first step is to get the potatoes on to boil. Especially if the potatoes are new, I like to leave the skins on but this is of course optional. Chop them to the desired size and put them in salted boiling water to simmer for half an hour.

When the potatoes have been on for twenty minutes, put the broccoli in to a separate pot or pan of boiling water. It is imperative that we do not overcook broccoli as it will become soggy and extremely unpalatable. Eight minutes only is the timescale for boiling broccoli - no more!

Put a little sunflower oil and a small knob of butter in a non-stick frying pan and gently heat. Spread the flour on a plate and season with salt and pepper before patting the skin side only of the salmon in it. Shake off the excess flour and place the salmon skin-side down in the frying pan. Turn the heat up to medium.

Drain the broccoli and subsequently the potatoes. Add a little butter and dill weed if required to the potatoes and swirl them around to fully coat them.

When the salmon appears from the side to have cooked just over half-way through, switch the pan off and remove it from the heat. Turn the salmon fillet (s) over and leave them to finish cooking in the residual heat while you quickly prepare your sauce.

It is imperative that you use double or heavy/whipping cream for the sauce. Single/light cream will split during the cooking process and ruin your sauce. Gently heat the cream in a small saucepan, along with the crushed garlic if required, until it begins to simmer. Add the pinch of dill, stir well and you are ready to plate up.

Place the salmon on the plate skin-side up. The skin should have crisped up and peel off easily, perhaps with the gentle aid of a knife. Add the potatoes and broccoli and finally spoon the sauce over the salmon.

Steak and Sausage Pie

Steak and Sausage Pie - or simply Steak Pie as it is more commonly known - is a very popular dish in Scotland. Particularly at New Year, but by no means exclusively so, Steak Pie forms a very prominent part of the traditional food of Scotland. It is most often made at home but those looking to buy Steak Pie from their butcher's shop on New Year's Eve - or Hogmany - are likely to have to place an order in advance if they wish to avoid disappointment.

Steak and Sausage Pie is an extremely easy dish to make. Very often, when making a pie such as this, I will substitute half the quantity of stock for cheap red wine, which gives an extra lush appearance to the gravy and flavour to the dish. This is optional, of course, and I have not used the red wine in the instance where I took the photograph pictured right.

The quantities below will make a steak pie which will provide a hearty meal for two people with accompaniments of choice.

Ingredients

1lb of Scotch beef (stewing steak)
4 quality beef link sausages
1/2lb of puff pastry (I tend to buy this pre-made)
1 pint of fresh beef stock

Method

Add the steak to a large pot or pan and brown - or seal - it over a high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. This is to seal as many of the juices in to the meat as possible.

Once the steak is fully sealed, add the beef stock, bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and let it simmer gently for half an hour.

After half an hour, add the sausages to the pot and put your oven on to preheat to 400F/200C/Gas Mark 6.

Carefully roll out your pastry to a size where it will just be enough to cover a rectangular pie dish, about 9" by 5" by 2".

Put the steak and sausage in to the pie dish with enough stock to almost cover them. Put the pastry carefully on top and press down around the edges to seal. Do not forget to make a "+" shaped cross in the centre of the pie, each arm of which should be about 1" long, in order to allow the steam to escape during cooking.

It is common to use beaten egg to glaze the pie prior to putting it in to the oven but I simply use milk. Ensure that you do not use too much glaze or you will make the pastry soggy and cause it to collapse and/or tear.

Place your pie in to the oven and cook for half an hour, until the pastry has risen and turned a beautiful shade of golden brown. Serve with vegetables of your choice.

Simple Pork Shish Kebabs with Soured Cream Dip

Shish kebabs are of course most commonly made with either lamb or beef and - honestly! - the reason these ones are not made with lamb is because somehow a pack of minced pork had found its way in among the minced lamb in my local supermarket and I never noticed until I got home! I therefore decided to carry on anyway with my recipe idea and am glad I did as the finished dish was absolutely delicious.

Ingredients per Person

1/2lb minced or ground pork
1 red chilli pepper
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp dried sage
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp soured cream
2 tsp freshly chopped coriander leaf/cilantro

Generous handful of fresh green salad leaves such as rocket

Method

Prepare the dip first by simply stirring the coriander in to the soured cream. This allows the flavours time to infuse.

De-seed and finely chop the chilli and crush or very finely chop the garlic cloves. Mix the pork, chilli, garlic, sage and seasoning thoroughly together. This is best achieved by hand.

Divide the mixture in to three equal portions and shape as shish kebabs (sausage like.) Take three metal skewers and carefully slide the kebabs on to them. It is of course possible to use wooden skewers if you prefer but be ensure to soak them well beforehand. The added benefit of metal skewers, however, is that they conduct heat in to the centre of the kebabs and help to cook them more quickly and evenly.

The kebabs should be cooked under a moderate grill for about fifteen to twenty minutes until cooked. Alternatively, they would cook very well on an outdoor grill or barbecue. Turn them frequently, remembering to wear a protective glove.

Place the dipping sauce in the centre of a large plate and surround it with the salad leaves before sitting the cooked kebabs on top.