Showing posts sorted by date for query lamb. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query lamb. Sort by relevance Show all posts
I don't know about you, but I am right in love with the Joseph Joseph line of cooking and baking utensil products. They are always such fun and in such brilliant colours! I could spend hours looking at all of the line which is available at our local Garden centre, and often do to Todd's chagrin, but then . . . I don't complain when he spends hours looking at man stuff . . . ok . . . so maybe I do a little bit . . .
I have a huge wish list of wants from Joseph Joseph so when I was recently contacted by Find Me A Gift and asked would I like to try out their new 4 piece baking set, I jumped at the chance! It was like all of my Christmas's Birthdays, Anniversaries had come at once! Lucky moi!
Included in the set are a very uniquely elevated pastry brush and spatula, which have weighted handles and really cool integrated tool rests, which help to keep the mess up off the table.
There is also an unusually shaped one hour baking timer, in bright pink, which I found really easy to use.
The thing I loved the most though, is this fabulous rolling pin. Made of beech it is adjustable, with three sets of removable discs which allow you to roll out your pastries, biscuits and other doughs to three different heights, with the measurements showing in both inches and millimeters!
This allows you to roll things out to an exactness which removes any guesswork! I found the discs really easy to change as they are quite simply held in place with a kind of screw thingie. As easy to use as nuts and bolts!
There are other measurements printed on the actual rolling pin as well, which easily help you to measure out whatever it is you are rolling, eg 12" round, 15" rectangle, etc. These are also in both measurements. I love this rolling pin . . . I absolutely love it.
Of course I could not wait to put it all to good use.
I just adore Samosas. When my oldest son was at Uni, I often would stop at the local market on a Saturday morning and pick up some samosas for us to share. He loves them too. I would ring the doorbell to his flat and when he answered the intercom, I would reply . . . "Speedy Samosa Delivery!" He never failed to let me in. Samosas are Indian snack food/appetisers . . . kind of like little curry turnovers. You can get veggie ones, or lamb ones. (My friend Joy makes fabulous lamb ones!) Most usually they are fried. Beautifully spiced and flavoured.
It isn't much of a stretch really to incorporate those flavours into a tasty pie. I had some leftover roasted chicken that needed using up and I thought a chicken pie would be nice . . . and then I thought, why not a Samosa pie. Win/win!
The crust is just lightly spiced with a bit of cumin and uses butter, so it's rich and beautifully coloured. Sturdy enough to stand up to the hearty filling, and yet flake, flake, flaky!
The filling contains the most usual samosa fillings . . . tender pieces of potato and onion, garlic, some cooked carrot, baby peas . . . cooked chicken . . .
Beautifully flavoured with a tasty mix of aromatics and spice . . . coriander, ginger, fennel, cumin, mustard, fenugreek, tumeric (for colour) and cayenne for some heat, this tasty pie pleases on many levels, both sight, smell and taste . . . and with picnic season having arrived it would make a great pie to take on a picnic. I served it simply . . . with some salad and mango chutney on the side. Deeeeeeeee-licious!
*Chicken Samosa Pie*
Serves 8
Your favourite Indian snack in a dinner pie! Couldn't be easier or tastier!Serves 8
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced (2 large)
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1 TBS vegetable oil
2 cups of chopped cooked chicken
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp brown or black mustard seeds
1/2 tsp ground tumeric
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 TBS grated fresh ginger root
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 tsp salt
2 TBS chopped fresh coriander leaves
2 TBS fresh lemon juice
For the pastry:
For the pastry:
250g of plain flour (2 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp salt
150g cold butter, cubed (2/3 cup)
160ml of milk (2/3 cup)
1 egg beaten, to glaze the pie with
First
make the pastry. Sift the flour into a bowl. Whisk in the salt and
cumin seed. Drop in the butter. Rub it in with a pastry blender or
your finger tips until it resembles fine bread crumbs. Add the milk
and stir with a fork to form a dough. Divide in two and shape each into
a round flat disc. Wrap in plastic cling film and chill while you are
making the filling.
Place the potato and carrot into a
pot of lightly salted water. Bring to the boil and cook until tender,
about 10 minutes. Drain and place in a large bowl. Heat the oil over
medium heat. Add the chopped onion. Saute to soften. Add the seeds
and stir fry until very fragrant. Tip in the salt, cayenne pepper,
garlic and ginger root. Cook and stir for about a minute. Add the
cooked chicken, frozen peas, coriander leaf, and lemon juice. Taste
and adjust seasoning as desired. Allow to cool completely.
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6.
Roll
out one disc of the pastry to a 1/8 inch thickness round, large enough
to line a 9 inch pie dish, with some overhang. Spoon the cooled chicken
filling into the crust. Roll out the other disc of pastry to 1/8 inch
thickness, making it large enough to cover the filling with some
overhang. Brush some beaten egg on the edges of the bottom overhang
and top with the other round of pastry to cover. Press the edges
closed. Trim off with a sharp knife and flute the edge decoratively.
Brush the top of the pie all over with some beaten egg. Cut some vents
in for steam. Bake on the bottom rack of the preheated oven for 50 to
60 minutes, until golden brown and tasty!
Cut into wedges to serve. Mango chutney is a good go-with!This delightful Joseph Joseph Baking Set usually retails for up to £40 at most shops but you can get it right now on Find Me A Gift for the low price of only "29.99!" That's a real steal!
Many thanks to Find Me A Gift and the lovely Emma for sending this to me! (Psst! With Father's Day coming up soon you should really check out the Find Me A Gift site. They have ooodles of nice things to choose from on there to suit every price range. They even have a really cool gift finger personal shopper page, which you can find here!)
One of the things I love most about the food blogging world is that you get to touch base with food bloggers from ALL over the World! I think that's pretty cool. It makes the world . . . well . . . not so big a place, and it opens up your palate to all sorts of variety and possibility. At least that's my theory.
I was contacted recently and asked if I would be willing to participate in an activity to help to promote the launch of a new cookery book by one of the world's best food photographer/food bloggers Jules Clancy of the popular food blog Stone Soup. As a part of this activity I was asked to submit an ingredient which she could give me some recommendations for cooking quickly and deliciously.
The Stone Soup Blog is all about cooking fresh, healthy and delicious meals that can be cooked with 5 ingredients and in 10 minutes or less.
I asked Jules about Swede. I love Swede, or Rutabaga as it is known in North America and probably other parts of the world. We always called it turnip when I was a child, but that was a misnomer. It is a member of the brassica family, but it's not a turnip per se. In any case we love them in this house. Here was Jule's advice to me . . .
SWEDES
I'll be honest, swedes aren't my favourite vegetable. I usually only buy them once or twice a year when I feel like making a huge pot of my Mum's lamb and veggie soup or making a mixed root veg stew.
Given that they take at least half an hour or longer to cook, they really didn't get a look in when I was planning recipes for my book '5 Ingredients 10 Minutes'. But if you love swedes and would like to include them in your midweek cooking more often, the best thing to do is to cook them on the weekend. Just scrub and dice and roast in a little oil until golden. Then keep in the fridge to throw into soups like the simple minestrone in my book.
The roast cubes can also be quickly warmed in a pan to make warm salads more substantial. They're also great in any dishes involving lentils or eggs or cheese. Try using your diced roast swede to add bulk to a frittata or omelette or even scrambled tofu. Or make your favourite pasta bake recipe a bit healthier by replacing some of the cooked pasta with roast swede cubes.
I agree, they can take some length of time to cook, and I appreciated Jules advice to roast or cook it ahead of time, at the weekend, so that you can have some ready to add to soups, salads, omelettes, etc. I personally have a pretty quick way of cooking it myself, which is quite, quite delicious. I simply grated it on the large holes of a box grater and then pan fry it in a bit of butter. It's done pretty quickly and is absolutely delicious. Tis a trick I learned from a Canadian Mennonite.
I do love Jule's book. It's got a fresh clean look to it and peppered throughout with her beautiful food photography. All of the recipes are nicely written and quite doable! And yes, quick . . . Quick . . . QUICK!
Recipes for tasty spreads and dips such as this simply beautiful looking warm Cannellini Bean Spread with Parmesan . . .
to the unusual . . . like this Cream Cheese, Honey and Soy Crostini. Now tell me that's NOT appealing and intriguing! The picture alone begs me to create it and the ingredients list . . . simply crusty baguette slices, cream cheese, honey and . . . well . . . soy sauce! It could not be simpler.
But that's not all . . . there is also a beautiful variety of delicious looking and sounding soups . . .
Tasty and beautiful looking salads . . .
Quick easy, fresh and colourful pasta dishes . . .
A variety of mains using meat, fish and poultry . . .
And even fresh and delicious desserts.
And . . . all of the recipes use five ingredients or less and are easily created in just ten minutes or less. One of the main excuses people use today for not eating healthy is that they don't have the time to cook healthy meals . . . this delightful cookery book blows that theory right out of the water . . . it is indeed possible to cook fresh and delicious food, using healthy fresh ingredients in not an awful lot of time!
I was personally intrigued by her recipe for Crunchy Bread Pudding. We love bread pudding in this house, especially the Toddster. Too often though the recipes make far too much and most of it ends up being thrown away because it just doesn't get eaten in time. Was it possible to make a delicious bread pudding in ten minutes or less??
Yes. It is and I did.
*Crunchy Bread Pudding*
Serves 2
Printable Recipe
Take care to watch while it is baking as it can burn very quickly if you take your eyes off it for even a second.
60g caster sugar (I used golden about 1/4 cup)
125ml whipping cream (1/2 cup double cream)
1 large free range egg
2 thick slices of bread, cut into cubes
cream or ice cream to serve
Preheat your oven grill to it's hottest setting. Line a large baking tray with some aluminum foil. Spray it lightly with non stick cooking spray. Set aside.
Whisk the sugar, cream and egg together in a bowl. Add the bread cubes and squash them into the mixture, allowing it to soak up as much of it as possible. Spread the soaked bread onto the prepared baking tray.
Cook under the heated grill for about 5 minutes. Turn the cubes over and grill for another 3 minutes or so until golden brown.
Divide the cubes between two small bowls and serve with cream or ice cream.
Note: you can use coconut cream instead of the whipping cream and egg to make this dairy-free/vegan; or use a gluten free bread for a gluten free version, you can add cinnamon to give a spiced flavour, or replace the crea, sugar and egg with a commercial egg free custard for an egg-free version.
Another thing I like about Jules' recipes is that there are many variations included for most of them which give you the opportunity to charge things up. There are also 10 minute tricks of the trade, etc.
All in all I think this book is a real winner and will take pride of place on my book shelf.
Many thanks to the people from Penguin and Jules for sending it to me.
5 ingredients 10 minutes
delicious, healthy recipes for tired and hungry cooks
by Jules Clancy
Published by Penguin books
ISBN 978-0-718-15874-3
U.K. £14.99
Do take a gander at the banner at the top of my right hand side bar to see all of the other people participating in this blogging event.
My husband is a really simple man with very simple tastes. If meat and potatoes are on the menu, he is one very happy camper indeed! He's been working really hard getting our garden Spring ready these past few days so I thought I would treat him today to a simple stew . . . which is one of his favourite meals of all.
I had some cubed leg of lamb that I had picked up at the butchers . . . perfect for a simple lamb stew. It seems kind of silly presenting this as a recipe as it's something which I just kind of throw together . . .
There might be a few of you though that would appreciate some simple instructions as to how to go about it. I can do it with my eyes closed, but that is because it is something which I have been throwing together for many, many years . . .
Stews are simple creatures . . . a bit of browned meat, some herbs, stock, a few vegetables . . . and you have something which is quite delicious and family pleasing. Today I had some Chantenay Carrots that I had picked up the other day for 50 pence. They were a bit larger than they normally are . . . each being about 4 inches in length. I thought it would be fun to simply peel them and then cut them in half before adding them to the stew.
I thought it gave a nice look to the finished dish . . . unusual . . . and in that same vein of thought, I added peeled whole new potatoes, which held their shape nicely and were not overly large. Altogether it gave a very rustic look to the finished dish, which I garnished simply with some chopped parsley and a few fresh thyme leaves . . . a bit of coarse salt and black pepper. It went down a real treat and we are both looking forward to the leftovers tomorrow . . . because as anyone knows, any stew tastes twice as good for having ripened overnight in the refrigerator.
*A Simple Stew of Lamb*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
I love the simple things in life. They always please, no matter what.
1 TBS olive oil
1 pound leg of lamb cut into bite sized chunks
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 leek, washed, trimmed and cut into rounds
2 stalks celery, trimmed and chopped
2 TBS flour
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1 TBS dried parsley
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
hot chicken stock (about 1 litre)
4 carrots, peeled and cut into batons
(Today I used half a bag of overgrown Chantenay Carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise)
12 medium new potatoes, peeled
1 large parsnip, peeled and cut into chunks
a handful of cubed Swede (Rutabaga)
Heat the oil in a medium sized heavy dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the lamb cubes, celery, onion and leek. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften and the meat to brown. Once the meat has browned all over, sprinkle it with the flour, rosemary, thyme, parsley and some salt and pepper. Cook and stir to coat meat. Pour over hot chicken stock to cover, giving it all a good stir. Cover tightly and simmer for about an hour. Add the carrots, parsnip, swede and potatoes, adding more stock as necessary and leaving the potatoes whole. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a slow simmer. Cover tightly and cook until the vegetables and meat are very tender. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Spoon out into heated bowls to serve.
Chicken Cutlets with Sage, Lemon & Butter. This is a delicious recipe to make using fried chicken cutlets.
We eat a lot of chicken in this house. It's fairly in-expensive, and we just like it. We don't eat a lot of red meat actually, saving it for a rare treat like the odd pork chop, lamb chop or steak . . .
I only buy free range chicken. I made a conscious decision several years back that I would only eat responsibly reared and sourced meat, fish and poultry.
I only buy free range chicken. I made a conscious decision several years back that I would only eat responsibly reared and sourced meat, fish and poultry.
It means that we have really cut down our consumption of those things because well . . . responsibly reared and sourced products cost more, and I would rather pay a bit more and eat protein like that a little less often.
This is a chicken that has really come home to roost in recent weeks (no pun intended) as we have come to learn that a great deal of our meat products, specifically those used in ready meals, beef burgers, etc. have been contaminated with horse meat and who knows what else . . .
This is a chicken that has really come home to roost in recent weeks (no pun intended) as we have come to learn that a great deal of our meat products, specifically those used in ready meals, beef burgers, etc. have been contaminated with horse meat and who knows what else . . .
Its a nasty business all round. I have nothing against eating horse if that is what you choose to do . . . but when I pay for beef, I expect to be eating beef. In France you see dedicated horse meat sections in the grocery shops. That's great if that's what you want to eat.
I don't really want to eat it and I don't like thinking that we have been tricked into doing so without our knowledge. Not that I eat a lot of grocery store beef. I don't. All the more reason not to.
This recipe here today is a delicious way to make two large single chicken breasts stretch to deliciously feed four people.
This recipe here today is a delicious way to make two large single chicken breasts stretch to deliciously feed four people.
Yes, four people, and nobody will feel like they have been shortchanged, just so long as you use decently sized chicken breasts.
The magic happens when you slice each breast into two pieces and then gently pound them out flat.
The magic happens when you slice each breast into two pieces and then gently pound them out flat.
They are then simply pan grilled and a delicious sauce is made using quite simply . . . sage, butter and lemon.
Delicious served with rice and peas. I cheated today and used a pouch of mushroom rice, but any rice will do.
Delicious served with rice and peas. I cheated today and used a pouch of mushroom rice, but any rice will do.
Really I'd love to have them with pasta, but you know . . . the Toddster, he's not so fond . . .
*Chicken Cutlets with Sage, Lemon & Butter*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
Quick, simple and delicious. One of my favourite ways to prepare chicken.
4 TBS plain flour
2 large chicken breasts cut into 4 escallopes
(Cut them in half lengthwise through the middle into two
long thin pieces)
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 TBS olive oil
2 TBS butter
1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and bruised
1 tsp freeze dried sage leaves
the juice of half a lemon
Place your chicken cutlets between two sheets of cling film and bash them gently to flatten them out a bit. Dust them lightly with flour, patting it on and shaking off any excess. Heat the oil and 1/2 of the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat.
*Chicken Cutlets with Sage, Lemon & Butter*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
Quick, simple and delicious. One of my favourite ways to prepare chicken.
4 TBS plain flour
2 large chicken breasts cut into 4 escallopes
(Cut them in half lengthwise through the middle into two
long thin pieces)
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 TBS olive oil
2 TBS butter
1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and bruised
1 tsp freeze dried sage leaves
the juice of half a lemon
Place your chicken cutlets between two sheets of cling film and bash them gently to flatten them out a bit. Dust them lightly with flour, patting it on and shaking off any excess. Heat the oil and 1/2 of the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat.
Once it begins to
foam, add the chicken and brown lightly on both sides, seasoning it to
taste with some salt and black pepper.
Add the garlic and the sage to
the pan along with the remaining butter. Squeeze in the lemon juice
and let it bubble up a minute. Serve immediately with some of the
lemony juices spooned over each cutlet.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.
Today I want to talk about one of the unsung heroes of British Cookery, Tamasin Day-Lewis. She's not considered to be sexy like Nigella Lawson, but in my opinion, she can cook her way around Nigella any day of the week, no question about it. She reminds me of a hippy/mother earth/ naturalist type of person, with her long hair and her simple ways, and you might be very surprised to find out . . . I was . . . she's the sister of the actor Daniel Day-Lewis. The daughter of a poet and an actress, she attended Cambridge University and read English at Kings College and in my opinion, next to Nigel Slater, she is the best darned cook in the UK.
I have always enjoyed watching her television shows and her cookery books and, in fact, I always buy her recipe books because I know they will be filled with beautiful, usable, recipes for great food that tastes delicious! When I first watched her, her long hair used to put me off just a tad . . . I am not fond of chef's hair around food, but after a while, I was so impressed with the caliber of her cookery it didn't matter anymore.
This is one of my favorite of all of her cookbooks for several reasons. One, the recipes in it always work out beautifully and two, there are recipes literally for just about any British dish you might want to cook on it's pages. You might be surprised actually to hear my confession today . . . I am 57 years old and until today I have never eaten Moussaka. Tis absolutely true . . . I have planned on trying it through the years, but until today I just had never gotten around to doing that.
Having picked up some lovely looking lamb mince at the Butchers the other day and some beautiful aubergines at the green grocer (eggplant to you North Americans) I decided that today was going to be the day when I would finally make it. I did a search online for recipes to use, but couldn't find one that appealed to me. They all had potatoes in them, or other bits I didn't want to use. I wanted a good, solid, usable recipe, and then I remembered Tamasin. I just knew that in one of her many cookery books that I own, there would be at least one solid recipe for Moussaka and I was right.
There, nestled within the pages of Tamasin's Kitchen Bible was the perfect recipe. There was nothing complicated about it . . . it was quite simply a delicious sounding meat sauce, layered with roasted aubergine slices (no frying, bonus!) and slathered with a rich bechamel sauce, sprinkled with some Parmesan and then baked . . . the layers of meat and aubergine melding together in a beautiful marriage of flavours . . . the top covered in a crust of delicious bechamel . . . gilded and golden brown . . .
I cannot believe that I have gotten to this age without ever having tasted this delicious Greek dish!! I can tell you it won't be long however before I taste it again, because we both thoroughly enjoyed this fabulous casserole! It was positively delicious!
All the flavours worked beautifully together, and I have an idea that it is a dish in which the leftovers will taste even better than the firsts . . . it was economical and filling and just wonderful. A firm favourite the first time around. I think it would make a fabulous party dish as well . . . and I cannot imagine anyone not liking it, well . . . unless they are vegetarians . . .
I do hope you will give it a go. I did adapt the sauce slightly as I didn't have fresh tomatoes to hand and really, fresh tomatoes this time of year aren't that great, so I just used a tin of chopped plum tomatoes and it worked perfectly. I do hope you will give it a go, and if you do you come back to tell me what you think!
*Moussaka*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe
Inexpensive and delicious. Great party dish. Serve with a green salad and some crusty bread for sopping up all of that goodness.
Olive oil
3 aubergines, sliced 1/2 inch thick (Eggplants)
2 medium brown onions, peeled and finely chopped
2 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 1/2 pounds minced lamb
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 400g tin of chopped plum tomatoes in tomato juice, undrained
(14 ounce tin)
3 TBS tomato puree (tomato paste)
60ml of white wine (1/4 cup)
2 TBS parsley
finely grated Parmesan cheese
for the Bechamel:
600 ml of full fat milk
(1 pint, or 2 1/3 cups)
1 medium brown onion, peeled and studded with a couple of cloves
1 bay leaf, broken
2 TBS unsalted butter
2 TBS plain flour
a touch of nutmeg
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 180*C.350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a deep baking dish and set aside.
Brush the aubergine slices on both sides with some olive oil. Lay them out onto a large baking sheet in a single layer, or two if necessary. Bang the trays into the oven and roast them for 10 to 15 minutes, until they are soft all the way through when pricked with the tines of a fork. Don't let them brown too much. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Heat 2 TBS olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onions and cook, without browning, until soft and a pale gold. Add the garlic and cook for several minutes before crumbli9ng in the mince. Fry the mince, scrambling and stirring until it is no longer pink and well browned. Add the cinnamon and season to taste with sale and black pepper. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato puree and parsley. Stir well, add the white wine, bring to the boil and then allow to simmer at a quick simmer, until most of the liquid had evaporated (but not all) and the meat is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
While the meat sauce is simmering, make your Bechamel. Place the milk, onion and bay leaf into a microwaveable beaker. Heat on high for about 1 1/2 minutes or until scalded. Set aside to infuse for about 10 minutes. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Once it begins to foam, whisk in the flour. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon for about a minute. Strain in the infused milk and cook, stirring constantly until any lumps are stirred out and the mixture begins to bubble and thicken. Allow to simmer on a very low heat for about 10 minutes and stirring occasionally. (Keep watch on it so it doesn't catch. I use a diffuser plate under my saucepan.) Halfway through the simmering time season to taste with some salt and pepper and just a touch of nutmeg. You want the nutmeg to be subtle, not slap you in the face. You should just know that there is another flavour there without being able to recognize it.
Layer the roasted aubergine and meat sauce in a deep casserole dish, beginning and ending with the aubergine. Pour a thick layer of the bechamel over top. (You may not need it all.) Dust the top with finely grated Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until it has nicely browned on top and the meat and aubergine layers have married beautifully together. Spoon out hot from the dish to serve.
Note: Recipe adapted from a recipe by Tamasin Day Lewis
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