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Showing posts sorted by relevance for query lamb. Sort by date Show all posts
I was recently sent a selection of Cookery books to review. As you know I just love cookbooks and have a vast collection . . . Todd moans whenever a new one comes through the letter box . . . but, alas that is just something he has to live with. I am of the opinion that one can never have too many cookbooks . . . Marriage is a give and take, besides . . . he reaps the rewards of my fetish every night when he sits down to tea.
The first one is a bit of a novelty book, entitled "Beer, a cookbook." Recipes by Kimberley Willis. It's a fun little book, not too large or hefty, but there's a lot packed into it's pages. There are 40+ recipes in this book, which is roughly about the size of a clutch handbag, each of them accompanied by a tasty looking photo.
There are recipes for starters, mains, sides and amazingly even desserts, each one containing detailed instructions and a tasty looking photo, not to mention some bartenders advice near the bottom and a heads-up rating . . . easy, medium or hard . . . so that you can pick according to your skills or desire.
It's a very sturdy book, each page being composed of heavy card, which has a glossy wipe proof surface. (I guess that's in case you sample too much of the beer while you are cooking and get sloppy??)
Interspersed between the recipes are fun quotes like this one from Frank Zappa:
"You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline . . . it helps if you have some kind of a football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least, you need a beer."
It's a cute little book, and would make the perfect Birthday Gift, or even Christmas Gift, for the beer connoisseur on your gift list. I haven't actually cooked anything from the book, so can't really say how good the recipes are, but purely from a novelty point of view, this book gets an "7" from me. It's colourful, sturdy and there were a few things in it that I have bookmarked for a later date to try.
The first one probably being these really delicious looking Chocolate Stout Lava Cakes ! There's also a pot roast that looks really tasty and tender as well.
Beer, a cookbook
Published by Adams Media
ISBN 10: 1-4405-3370-9
ISBN 13: 978-1-4405-3370-9
copyright 2012 by F+W Media, inc.
The second book is also a bit of a Novelty book, based loosely on the popular Hunger Games novels and film. I was a great fan of the books and loved the movie, so I was quite interested in this book. From the back cover:
When it comes to the Hunger Games, staying alive means finding food any way possible. Katniss and Gale hunt live game, Peeta's family survives on the bread they make, and the inhabitants of the Seam work twelve-hour days for a few handfuls of grain . . . all while the residents of the Capitol gorge themselves on delicacies and desserts to the heart's desire.
For the first time, you will be able to create delicious recipes from the humble District 12 to the extravagant Capitol, including:
- French bread from the Mellark Family Bakery
- Katniss's favourite Lamb Stew with Dried Plums
- Rue's Roasted Parsnips
- Gale's Bone-Picking Big Game Soup
- Capital Grade Dark Chocolate Cake
Hard covered and 241 pages containing more than 150 recipes inspired by the Hunger Games Trilogy and written by Emily Ansara Baines. (It is unofficial and unauthorized, approved, liscensed, or endorsed by Susanne Collins, her publishes, or lionsgate entertainment corp.) Emily Ansara Baines is a writer who has worked as a professional baker and caterer throughout the East Coast of American, most recently New York City.
Each recipe seems to be well written, with great instructions and tips included from your "Sponsor." The downside is that there are no photographs at all, and I do love my cookbooks to have at least a few scrummy pictures. But, aside from a few recipes I would probably never cook, like "Fightin' Fried Squirrel . . . there are also a great number of really delicious sounding ones like Mixed Messages Mixed Berry Jam, Apocalyptic Eggs Benedict, Katniss's Craved Cheese Buns, Harvest Heirloom Apple Cake and Thick and Gooey Double Chocolate Banquet Brownies. Again, I haven't cooked anything from this book . . . but I probably will. It's been hard these past three weeks getting in any cooking time with all the renovations going on. I am giving this one an "8". Pictures would be nice, but most of the recipes sound quite delicious and it has great novelty factor. It would make a perfect gift for the Hunger Games fan!
The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook, by Emily Ansara Baines
Published by Adams Media
ISBN-13: 978-1-4405-2658-9
ISBN-10: 1-4405-2658-3
$19.95 (CAN $20.99)
Here in the UK you can get it from Amazon for £14.44
The final book, and my favourite of the three, was Not-So-Humble Pies by Kelly Jaggers, also published by Adams Media. 150 delicious, decadent and savory recipes for one of my favourite foods of all . . . Pie!
The book is split into three parts.
Part 1 - Not so Humble beginnings
Chapter 1 Pastry and cookie crusts
The first chapter, pie crusts, offers tons of options. Pastry type crusts like the perfect flaky crust, butter crusts and options like a buttery, spicy cheese crust. Cookie type crusts include gingersnaps, pretzels. There are also shortbread type crusts which fall right between the two using a cookie type recipe to make a crust for a pie.
Chapter 2 - Toppings
The second chapter covers toppings, classic crumb toppings, meringue, stabilized whipped cream, and sauces.
Part 2 - Sweet as Can Be
Chapter 3 Creams, Custards, and Chiffons
Creams, Custards and Chiffons.-Nothing as simple as a chocolate cream pie, these are things like cantaloupe cream, vanilla rum meringue and for people who prefer a more traditional flavor profile, white chocolate chiffon.
Chapter 4 Fruits, Nuts and Berries
Based on classic recipes, these up the gourmet and wow factor, an apple pie gets a savory cheddar crust to contrast the sweetness of the apples, peach and ginger combine in a hand pie perfect for picnics.
Chapter 5 Tarts, Tartlets, and Rustic Pies
These are the "dressed up for guests" dessert pies. Fine ingredients, flavors and textures like apple rose, white chocolate ganache and praline cream.
Part 3 - Savory Situations
Chapter 6 Dinner Pies
The savory flavors that make a main course. There are lots of tarts in this chapter as well that would work well as a side dish like the spinach and artichoke tart. Lots of cheese based tarts and pies as well.
Chapter 7 Spicy, Salty, and Exotic Pies
All of the recipes in this book put some pretty unusual twists on the family classics, but this chapter really pulls out all the stops by adding chilis, spice and salt to classics.
Each part is beautifully photographed as are a lot of the recipes . . .
Lavender Infused Lemon Pie
The recipes all appear to be very well written, although having said that, the crust recipe that I chose to bake did have an inconsistency in it. It called for 1 egg, not specifying the size, or the fact that you only need the yolk, at least I could not find anyplace where the white was called for. I used a large egg and had thrown in the whole egg before I realized that in the directions it said the yolk. It turned out fine though, so no worries.
I chose to bake the Fresh Blackberry Tart with Spiked Creme Anglaise recipe from chapter 5, Tarts, Tartlets and Rustic Pies. This is blackberry season here in the UK at the moment and they are something that I have a lot of and that I love to use in the autumn.
The crust was quite forgiving . . . and not all that different from a short bread cookie. Nom! Nom! It was very rustic and not too frou frou . . . this was a plus for me last week with all of the construction work going on.
The filling was very easy to throw together, although I did find that the cornflour didn't dissolve in the alloted standing time so if I make it again, I will add a touch of lemon juice. It will not only help to preserve the colour, but also add a nice little hint of sharpness that I think will go well with both the berries, the sweet crust and that scrummy Creme Anglaise.
*Fresh Blackberry Tart with Spiked Creme Anglaise*
makes 8 servings
Creme Anglaise is a slightly thickened custard sauce that is used as a garnish on all sorts of desserts. Here the sauce is spiked with a touch of bourbon and drizzled over slices of warm blackberry tart. If you don't care for bourbon, you can use rum or creme de cassis, or omit altogether.
2 cups fresh blackberries
2 TBS cornstarch
2 TBS sugar
1 short crust for tarts, rolled into a 12 inch circle
1 TBS butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 TBS bourbon
2 egg yolks
3 TBS sugar
Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, combine the berries, cornstarch and sugar until well combined. Let stand for 5 minutes.
Place the pastry onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread with the blackberry mixture, leaving a 1/2 inch border. Fold the pastry just over the edge of the berries, then dot the top with butter.
Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until the fruit is bubbling and the pastry is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
In a small saucepan over medium low heat, add the cream and vanilla. Bring just to a simmer. In a large bowl, whisk together the bourbon, egg yolks, and sugar until smooth. Whisking constantly, gradually add 1/2 cup of the cream into the egg yolks. Immediately add the egg yolk mixture back into the pot and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon, about 6 minutes.
Serve the tart slightly warm with the creme anglaise drizzled over the top.
We quite enjoyed this lovely tart and I have no less than 15 other recipes flagged to try out over the next few weeks/months. If they are all as nice as this one . . . well, we have a real winner here!
Not-So-Humble Pies, by Kelly Jaggers
Published by Adams Media
ISBN 10: 1-440503291-5
ISBN 13L 978-1-4405-3291-7
$17.95 (Can $18.99)
Available here in the UK from Amazon for £12.74
I give this book a "9." It lost a point for the inconsistency I found in the crust recipe.
Disclaimer - Please note that although I am given these books free of charge for review, I am under no obligation to give positive reviews. My opinions are honest and my own.
We've had some really cold days this past week or so, with heavy frosts on the ground in the morning and the days haven't warmed up too much either.
Before things get a chance to warm up the sun is setting, and things are chilling up again! Wintry, cold, damp . . . these days call for proper comfort food.
There is nothing we enjoy better on a cold damp night than a hot bowl of soup or stew. My husband's very favourite is a stew.
Stews are lovely. You can make them with beef, or lamb, pork, chicken . . . venison. Almost any kind of meat is good in a stew. Today I used beef.
My vegetables that I use for stew are pretty simple. Onions, garlic, carrots, parsnips, swede (rutabaga) . . . humble vegetables, comfort vegetables . . . winter vegetables. I like to cut them into a pretty uniform size.
I find there is something really mindful standing at the counter peeling and chopping. My mind is usually everywhere else and I am channelling my mom, nan, great nan, etc. I also add potatoes, but I cut those into larger chunks so that they don't disintegrate in the long oven braising time.
One secret to a really good stew is to brown your meat really well. You will want to do this in batches.
If you add too much to the pan at a time, it won't brown really well. There is a lot of flavour in the browning . . . so do it in small batches and . . .
brown it really well. Once you have it all browned you can add it back to the pan and add the aromatics . . . (I use a flame proof oven roasting/braising tin with a lid for this.)
By aromatics I mean onions, celery, leek . . . just bung them into the pan with the meat and cook and stir until the oven has softened . . .
I have a few secret ingredients . . . you can see them above. Nothing too out of the ordinary, but they add fab flavours!
The Balsamic adds a hint of red wine and sweet . . . the Worcestershire is a bit sharp and the Ketchup a bit of tomato and spice . . . back home I would add a splash of vinegar from a jar of sweet mixed pickles, but we don't get them over here in the UK.
I add the potatoes and some herbs and cover everything with beef stock/bullion, just to barely cover and I show a broken bay leaf right down into the mess.
Did you know that breaking a bay leaf in half helps to release its flavours? Now you do . . .
And that's it pretty much, cover it tightly and bang it into the oven to oven braise for 2 or 3 hours. I check it every now and then to make sure its not boiling dry.
You can add a little bit more of stock if it is. The stews done when the beef and vegetables are tender.
The gravy will be nice and thick and beautifully flavoured with all of those browned meat juices and aromatics, herbs, etc.
The vegetables add lots of flavour also . . . yummy.
I like to serve it with plenty of crusty bread to help sop up all of those delicious juices . . . .
If you wanted to you could add a cup of frozen peas to the stew about half an hour before it's finished for colour. Its delicious either way.
Beef Stew
Yield: 6
A satifisfying dish on a cool and wet and wintery evening. Long slow cooking ensures that the meat is melt in the mouth tender.
ingredients:
- 3 TBS olive oil
- 2 onions, peeled and chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 leek, trimmed, washed and sliced
- 1 stick celery, trimmed and chopped
- 2 large carrots, peeled, sliced in half and then cut into half moon chunks
- 2 parsnips, peeled, quartered and sliced into 2 inch long bits
- 1/4 of a small swede, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (rutabaga)
- 6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
- 2 1/2 pounds good quality beef stew meat, cut into cubes
- 2 TBS plain flour
- 2 pints beef stock (5 cups, or to cover)
- 1 TBS Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 TBS tomato ketchup
- 1 bay leaf, broken
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 TBS chopped fresh flat leaf parsley to garnish at the end
instructions:
How to cook Beef Stew
- Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.
- Heat 1 TBS of the oil in a large flame proof casserole. Add the beef cubes, working in batches. Try not to overcrowd the pan. Brown well on all sides. Scoop out to a bowl and continue to brown the meat until all is browned. Add the onions and celery. Cook, stirring until the onion has turned translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook for about a minute and then the herbs, seasoning and flour. Stir to combine. Cook for about a minute and then add the remaining vegetables and the stock. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, Ketchup and Balsamic vinegar. Add the bay leaf and cover tightly. Pop into the preheated oven and oven braise for 2 to 2 1/2 hours at which time the vegetables and meat should all be tender. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Spoon the stew into heated bowls to serve. Crusty bread goes very well!
I confess one thing I have always loved to do with stew, since I was a child is to mashe the potatoes up in that stew gravy . . . and if I am feeling a bit indulgent I will dot a bit of butter on top so it melts down into everything. Yes, I AM naughty like that sometimes!
We had company for supper on Saturday night and I prepared a hearty wholesome meal for us all, Beef Stew and Dumplings. I served it with fluffy and buttery mashed potatoes and it went down a real treat. I made extra so that I could have leftovers, because . . . as everyone knows things like Beef Stew always taste even better a day or two later on. Not sure why that is, I only know it is. Trust me on this.
I am a person that has never minded eating leftovers. I love them. I do know that some people are not too fussed on having leftovers however, but it seems such a waste to throw good food away so I am going to give you some really great ideas today to use a leftover such as Beef Stew. Bear in mind that this would work with any type of leftover stew really, chicken, lamb, etc. They are both really easy.
If you always have a sheet of puff pastry in the freezer, ready to roll and use, you have the makings of a very easy pot pie, depending on how much you have leftover. I had made the full recipe of stew so I had basically four servings leftover, which would make a tasty meal for a family, especially if you add potatoes and veggies or salad on the side. Simply spread your leftover stew into a pie dish. Cover with foil and bake it in a190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5 oven for about 20 minutes until it gets hot and is bubbling. Then unroll your puffpastry and cut it to fit over top of the warmed stew mixture. Brush it with some milk or beaten egg yolk/water and sprinkle with a bit of cracked pepper, sea salt flakes and parsley flakes and then return it to the oven, increasing the temperature to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6 and bake for a further 15 to 20 minutes until the pastry is puffed and golden brown.
Doesn't that look good? I can assure you it was very good indeed!
Note: I always add a bit of stock to loosen up my stew mixture a bit when reheating as the vegetables tend to absorb most of the gravy when you store it. If that isn't a problem then just leave it, but if you want a bit of a gravy you will want to add some stock.
Another good thing to make with leftover stew is a cottage pie. A cottage pie is basically stewed beef, or leftover roast and gravy anyways, so it makes perfect sense to use leftover beef stew. My stew is always chock full of lovely veg such as carrots, parsnips and swede, so it's very tasty. I happened to have leftover mashed potatoes from the other night as well, so that was not a problem, but it's really easy to make fresh mash as well. You can also buy bags of frozen mash in the shops now for about £1, so if you keep one of those in the freezer, you always have mash on tap.
Simply spread your stew into a casserole dish and cover with foil. Heat in a preheated oven (180*C/350*F/ gas mark 3) for about 20 minutes. Take your potato and loosen it up a bit with a beaten egg. Remove your casserole dish of stew from the oven and uncover. Spread the mash over top of the hot stew and score attractively with a fork. Bang it back into the oven and cook for a further 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are golden brown.
Doesn't that look tasty? I know! It was really tasty and nobody felt like they were eating leftovers!
And that's the truth. ☺
Chimichurri Sauce may not be a sauce you are familiar with. Its a lovely lush and spicy sauce which hails from Argentina.
Its deliciously created from fresh herbs, vinegar, seasonings, red pepper flakes and plenty of garlic, and there is not much it doesn't go with!
Today I created Chimichurri chicken breast, but it goes with all sorts of grilled meats. Steak is a real favorite with me as well!
I adapted this recipe from one found in the cookbook entitled Seriously Simple, by Diane Rossen Worthington. Its a great book filled with lovely seriously simple recipes. I really enjoy my copy.
Most require nothing more than simple ingredients, cooking methods and cooking equipment. Simple flavors and foods done really well in a very simple way.
It doesn't get much better than that in my opinion!
Of course the star of this is the chimichurri recipe. Such a simple sauce, but the flavors are just wowza! I am sure once you have made it and tasted it, you will be able to think of all sorts of applications for it.
It is not only great as a sauce, but makes an excellent marinade as this recipe today expertly illustrates!
You do need to be fond of garlic however and a little bit of sauce goes a very long way as it is rather spicy. Because the garlic isn't cooked it has a bit of a bite! But trust me when I say it totally works just as is!
Diane says that the sauce got its name from the legend that British laborers working in Argentina saw bowls of this sauce and would say, "Give me curry," which over the years evolved into (as things do) "Chimichurri!" Makes sense to me!
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE CHIMICHURRI SAUCE
First of all, the most important ingredient here is the food processor. You could use a mortar and pestle as well if you have one, but you can't beat a food processor for its ease of preparation!
- garlic cloves, peeled
- flat leaf parsley
- olive oil
- white wine vinegar
- water or chicken broth
- dried oregano
- dried parsley
- salt and pepper
- red pepper flakes (crushed chilies)
HOW TO MAKE CHIMICHURRI SAUCE
Nothing could be easier, especially with a food processor.
You will need to puree the garlic first. Simply peel it and pop it into the food processor. You then pulse it until it is very fine or as fine as you can get it. You then add the parsley leaves and pulse until they are finely chopped.
The original recipe called for a whole bunch of flat leaf parsley, just the leaves. I used approximately 1/2 a bunch, and yes, stripped the leaves from the stems. It doesn't really take that long.
Once you have the garlic and parsley minced, it is a simple matter of whisking in the remaining ingredients. You can also give them a quick whisk in by pulsing them in a few times in the food processor.
That's it your marinade and sauce is done! Do taste it to make sure you have enough seasoning.
HOW TO CUT UP A WHOLE CHICKEN
Cutting up your own chicken is a lot cheaper than buying store cut chicken and its really easy to do if you have a sharp boning knife and a set of kitchen scissors.
1. Lay the bird on its back. Wiggle a wing to determine where the joint attaches to the breast. To separate the wing from the breast, use a sharp knife to cut through the ball joint where it meets the breast. Repeat with the other wing.
2.Pull a leg away from the body to see where it attaches. To remove the whole leg, first cut through the skin between the thigh and the breast.
3. Continue to pull on the leg and wiggle it a bit to determine where the thigh meets the socket in the back. Use a boning knife or paring knife to cut through that joint. Repeat with the other leg.
4. Place each leg skin-side down. With your hand and knife, bend the leg to feel for the ball joint. That's where the drumstick and thigh are connected. Then, look for the thin line of fat that runs along the ball joint. Cut through the line of fat to separate the thigh and drumstick. Wiggle the joint as needed so it's easy to cut. Repeat with the other leg. I often just keep the thigh and drumstick together as a chicken quarter joint. Its up to you.
5. To remove the backbone, start at the head end of the bird and cut through the rib cage on one side of the backbone with kitchen shears or a sharp knife. Repeat on the other side of the backbone to remove it completely. (I like to reserve the backbone and neck for chicken stock.)
6.Now cut the breast into two halves. Place the breast skin-side down. To protect your hand, fold a kitchen towel and place it on top of a heavy, sharp knife. Use your weight to cut through the breast bone and cartilage down the center of the breast.
7. Now that you have two breast halves, if you think they are overly large, you can cut each breast half in half again, crosswise. The wishbone is located at the thick part of the breast. If you want, you can tease the meat away from the two pieces of wishbone using your hands and/or a sharp knife to scrape the meat from the bone.
The first time you cut up your own chicken it can be a bit intimidating, but once you have done it you will see how easy it is and each time you do it, it becomes that much easier.
It just makes sense to cut up your own when chicken is so expensive to buy already cut up. Why not line your own pockets with the cash rather than the grocery shop's!
I marinated and grilled skin on chicken breasts for this and I did push a bit of the marinade in between the skin and the breast as well when I was marinating them. This really got the flavors right in there.
You can use the chimichurri sauce on any cut of chicken however, so don't limit yourself. If you prefer thighs, then use them! I would do them boneless as well. I do like to keep the skin on when grilling as it helps to keep the chicken from drying out too much.
In any case I hope you will try this simple and delicious recipe. I would serve these with some lovely boiled and crushed potatoes and a vegetable on the side, or even rice. Something that will absorb all of those tasty juices! 😋
Grilled Chicken Breasts with Chimichurri Sauce
Yield: 2
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 Mininactive time: 30 MinTotal time: 1 Hour
A wonderfully herby garlic sauce serves as both marinade and condiment to these delicious grilled chicken breasts. Amounts are for two, but can be doubled or tripled. You will need a food processor to make the sauce.
Ingredients
For the sauce and marinade:
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled
- a large handful of flat-leaf parsley, leaves only
- 1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil
- 2 TBS white wine vinegar
- 2 TBS water or chicken broth
- 1/3 tsp dried oregano
- 1/3 tsp dried basil
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- salt and black pepper to taste
For the chicken:
- Two skin on boneless chicken breasts
- 1 1/2 TBS of the chimichurri sauce
- 1 TBS olive oil
Instructions
- First make the chimichurri sauce. You will need a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the garlic cloves and puree. Add the parsley and chop finely. Add the oil, vinegar, water or broth and seasonings. Process to blend. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. It will be garlicky and spicy.
- Combine 1 1/2 TBS of the sauce with the olive oil in a bowl. Add the chicken breast to the bowl, turning to coat them. Marinate for half an hour at room temperature. (Alternately they can marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours.)
- Preheat an outdoor grill, a grill pan, or an electric grill for medium heat grilling.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and place onto the grill, presentation side down (skin side). Grill for 7 to 10 minutes. Flip over and grill for a further 7 to 10 minutes, until the chicken juices run clear. Timings depend on the size and thickness of your chicken breasts.
- Serve the breasts hot with the sauce on the side, ready for drizzling over them.
Notes:
This very versatile sauce goes with grilled steaks, lamb, pork or fish. It will keep for a few days, covered, in the refrigerator, but the parsley will not be as brightly coloured.
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