Dusting of the cobwebs; Barbacoa Beef

Well its been a while, a long while since I have written on this little blog of mine. I think I just got a bit disenchanted with the whole "blogging thing". I went through a bit of a tough time at the end of 2015 - I stopped cooking, I stopped writing and I found it very difficult to find joy in anything let alone nourishing my body. 

But life has seasons and I feel the sun on my face more now. I feel hopeful about life and about the future. Life is good and my love of food and cooking is burning bright. My fingers itch to share recipes and at the end of the day this is all I want this space to be - somewhere for me to share my recipes and my thoughts from my little kitchen. I'm not interested in numbers, shares, likes what I care about is the people who have said "I tried your recipe and we still make it regularly" (thanks Lia) and then a very dear friend (Hi Lucinda!) sent me a really lovely message about my blog just as I was about ready to shut it down completely and it has stayed with me...

So who knows how long this will last... we shall see!

Its good to be back 

This is my recipe for Barbacoa Beef which is so tender and so flavourful - its my favourite thing to put in a Taco!

Barbacoa Beef 

1350g beef stewing steak, cut into chunks 

2 tbsp coconut oil 

4 cloves garlic, minced 

2 tbsp chipotle chilli paste (I got mine from Sainsburys)

2 small green chillies, finely chopped 

1 small onion, chopped 

juice of 2 limes 

2 tbsp cider vinegar

3 bay leaves 

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tbsp oregano 

2 tbsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

500ml beef stock

300ml mexican / spanish beer 

brown off the meat in the oil and then add all the other ingredients into the pan. you can the transfer this to a slow cooker and put on low for 5-7 hours or just leave on a low heat for 3-4 hours. its ready when the beef is tender and most of the liquid has gone. using two forks shred the beef and let the beef soak up the remaining juices. remove the bay leaves and serve the beef in a taco with a bit of salad and avocado  

A Monday Roast........{Roast Chicken with Baked Ricotta and Roasted Vegetables}

I went away with work last week. It was at a conference centre where their idea of catering is quantity over quality. I can't really blame them but I have come home three pounds heavier and with a horrible cold that I trying hard to fight it off with flavoursome, healthy and vibrant food and lots of veg (5 members of staff are off sick with it today so I feel kind of hard core going into work today).

Roast chicken soothes my soul and also gives me bones to make chicken broth, which in turn becomes chicken noodle soup which H says is the best medicine in the world. Today I share with you the roast chicken side of things. Nigella Lawson says that every family has their own way of doing chicken, she's right and this is mine. The baked ricotta makes a lovely change from stuffing and its lemony creaminess compliments the chook to perfection as well as going delightfully with the charred vegetables. If I was making a Sunday Roast then I would be doing roast potatoes and all the trimmings but somehow just bunging some veg in the pan makes this a lot less labour intensive and more suited to an weekday evening meal. 

And a Monday roast is never a bad idea. ever. 

Roast Chicken with Baked Ricotta and Roasted Vegetables

For the Roasted Chicken and Vegetables:

1 whole chicken 

1 lemon

sea salt

olive oil

butter (French, as always is best)

rosemary

1/4 butternut squash, cut into large chunks

1 sweet potato, cut into large chunks

1 parsnip, cut into large chunks

1 carrot cut into large chunks

2 small red onion, halved and then cut into large chunks

1/2 courgette cut into large chunks 

cloves of garlic, around six unpeeled but slightly crushed with side of knife

For the Baked Ricotta:

250g Ricotta

Zest of lemon 

1 egg

S&P

parmesan cheese 
1 TBSP EVOO 

put all the vegetables and garlic in the baking tray and splash with olive oil and some S&P. Take the chicken, rub the skin with butter, put half a lemon in the cavity, a quarter on each wing and splash over a bit of olive oil, season. Place on the tray and move the vegetables so they are all around the chicken. Add a couple of sprigs of rosemary. Bake in oven for around 1 1/2 hrs (this will vary on the size of the bird) at around 200oC until the juices run clear and it is nicely browned. Whilst its cooking take a bowl and add the ricotta, egg, and lemon zest, whisk together and add about a TBSP of parmesan cheese, the oil and some seasoning. Place in a small oven proof dish and sprinkle with a bit more parmesan and more black pepper. Bake on the bottom shelf for about 30 minutes until it's golden. Serve the vegetables with the chicken on top and a couple of small slices of the cheese. 

Linking up for the first time with Honest Mum - Thanks for inviting me to join in Tasty Tuesdays! 

And with Delcious Dish Tuesday with Eat Drink and Be Mary and Full Time Mama 

A soothing dinner of sorts..... {Butternut Squash, Blue Cheese and Pancetta Risotto}

Risotto is one of those dishes that works on all occasions: I wouldn't hesitate serving it at a dinner party and yet it's perfect as a weekday after work meal. I remember the first time I learn to make it was in Italy - I stood fascinated as Leilo stirred and chopped and added bits and bobs as he went along. Me scribbling notes in my pad so I could replicate it as home. Risotto is nothing to be scared of it just needs your full attention and once you've got the hang of it the amount of ingredient combinations is endless - this is H's favourite so thus it's what we went with last night. 

Butternut Squash, Blue Cheese and Pancetta Risotto

Serves 4

1/2 butternut squash, cut into large cubes 
100g Pancetta, diced 
2 shallots, finely chopped 
1 clove garlic, finely chopped 
2 leaves of fresh sage (OPTIONAL), finely chopped 
250g arborio rice
300ml white wine 
approx 1.5 pints - 2 pints good quality chicken stock 
75g blue cheese - I used St Agur, cut into large chunks 

Take the cubes of butter nut squash and roast in a little olive oil for approx 40 - 45 mins. in a dry pan cook of the pancetta, you don't need oil as it will release its own fat as it cooks, when it is nice and crisp, approx 10 mins take out of pan with slotted spoon and drain on some kitchen paper. Cook of the onions and garlic in the remaining pancetta fat. Take a few of the big chunks of the roasted  butternut squash and finely dice them before adding to the pan along with the rice. stir together for a few minutes until the rice is translucent. Add the wine and continue to stir until it has absorbed. Start to add the stock a couple of ladelfuls at a time stirring gently as you go - this is not to be rushed. Once each ladelful has absorbed add another and keep doing this until your rice is cooked and you have a creamy consistency - you may need all the stock, you may not. Once you feel it is ready stir in the pancetta. Take the blue cheese and fold it in gently you want to keep nice oozing chunks of cheese throughout the risotto so don't mix it in vigorously. Serve with the remainder of the roasted butternut squash. 

I'm linking up this post with Alesha and Mary for Delicious Dish Tuesday

 

And  Supergolden bakes!  

The Sandwich Sessions, #1 Fish Finger Sandwich with Homemade Tartar Sauce

A food fanatic like myself  often gets asked "What's your favourite food?" and oh my I have so many, I'm not sure I could possibly pick a favourite... but one of my favourite food groups is the sandwich, and yes I truly believe that the sandwich is a food group. Comforting and so versatile I don't think there is anything humble about a good sandwich, they are the perfect food often H and I will just have a good sandwich for our dinner and that's just fine and dandy with us.

My eldest little sister (who blogs over here) gave me the idea yesterday that I should do a blog on sandwiches and whilst I'm loyal to this blog only I'm going to make this a little series (maybe a link up one day) and every couple of weeks I'm going to show you how to take your sandwiches to a whole other level and enjoy this most perfect of comfort foods.

I'm starting with the Fishfinger sandwich which seems to have become a bit of a staple on UK pub menus and rightly so. Nothing screams nursery food more than fishfingers and by putting them in a sandwich its like we are saying that its acceptable to eat as adults. Make your own tartar sauce because it's not difficult and tastes so much better than shop bought rubbish. You can also make it to your tastes them; I hate too many capers so only add a few.  I used sub rolls as I like the texture with the filling, although you could just use white bread or baguette. However it should be white,  this is not a time for wholemeal. Please forgive me for my use of a processed cheese slice, this is the only occasion where I feel that it is totally acceptable to use them!

Fish Finger Sandwich 

Fishfingers (I used 2 jumbo ones per sandwich but use whatever ones you prefer)

Submarine rolls 

Optional: thinly shredded Iceberg Lettuce, processed cheese slice 

For the Tartar Sauce:

3 - 4 TBSP finely chopped gherkins 

1 TBSP very finely chopped onion

1 TSP Capers 

8 TBSP Good quality mayonnaise

2 TSP freshly squeezed lemon juice 

1 TSP of the pickle juice from your jar of gherkins (trust me it makes all the difference)

Cook the fishfingers according to the directions. Put all of the sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly, taste and make any adjustments you think it may need - maybe some more lemon juice? Slice your rolls along one and spread the sauce along the top and the cheese and lettuce on the bottom, add the fishfingers and then push the sides together. Eat, preferably with your lovely housemate whilst watching Great British Bake Off, and be transported to your childhood when life was ever so simple.  

The Healthy Way to do Chilli

Spicy Turkey Chilli

I've been adjusting my eating habits for a quite a while now and I'm now approaching the two stone mark on my weight loss journey... makes me happy and quite proud, although these things take time. I try not to deprive myself (see my dinner on Monday) as I think that leads to failure and I hate to fail.

One thing I look to do is to make healthy versions of my favourite meals or to replicate great healthy meals that I have out. Chilli is a favourite of mine and I used to love eating a really slow cooked chilli full of beef, chorizo and red wine smothered with sour cream and cheese and preferably served over a jacket potato. Hello calories, fat and carbs....  and I wonder why I put on weight. Duh!

So here is my alternative- a yummy chilli made from turkey mince (which is a great ingredient for all you dieters out there). Mine is pretty spicy so adjust the spice ratios if you want it a bit milder. Feel free to add whatever veggies you like to bulk this up - its a great way to clear the contents of the veg drawer.  I served this with gem lettuce leaves (zero carbs and means I can justify a small sprinkling of cheese) but other healthy alternatives would be a baked Sweet Potato or some Bulgar Wheat.

Turkey Chilli 

Serves around 4 to 6 depending on how hungry people are!
300g Turkey Mince 

2 onion, chopped 

2 cloves garlic, crushed 

1 fresh red chilli, chopped finely

1 Green Pepper & 1/2 Orange Pepper, cut into chunks

1 carrot, chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped

2 TBSP Tomato puree 

2 TSP Cumin

2 TSP chilli powder 

2 TSP Paprika 

1 tin chopped tomatoes 

200g Kidney beans, drained 

Olive Oil

S&P

Simmering away in the pan 

Fry off the onion, garlic and chilli, add the pepper, carrot and celery and allow them all to soften. Add the turkey mince and cook for around 10 mins, stirring occasionally. Once the mince is cooked then add the spices and puree and cook for a few minutes. Season. Add tomatoes and then leave to cook for 30 mins or so - simmering over a low heat. Add the drained kidney beans and cook for a further 10 minutes. Serve with gem lettuce leaves, some Greek yoghurt and a sprinkle of cheese. 

Messy but yummy!

This Dish has been picked as a featured favourite for Delicious Dish Tuesday! Thanks so much guys.... I encourage everyone to get involved - its a great link up!

Linking up with Alesha for Delicious Dish Tuesday

Sweet like..... Sweetcorn

I have a funny relationship with sweetcorn. Without meaning to put you off your breakfast they are the one food that your body cannot digest (that's what I heard anyways) so it leaves me wondering why we bother? But then when I taste its crunchy sweet golden goodness it suddenly doesn't matter that its going to go straight through me, it tastes amazing!

These fritters are a go-to recipe for me as I always have the ingredients lying around the kitchen. They are incredibly easy to make but taste great and I often add any other vegetables going off in my fridge.

Sweetcorn Fritters 

2 heads of sweetcorn or 1 can of sweetcorn - fresh is best, tinned is ok, frozen doesn't work!

sprinkle of fresh red / green chilli

30g / 1 heaped TBS self raising flour 

1 egg 

1 egg white

Butter for frying 

S&P

Using a large knife, remove kernels from the cob, put into mixing bowl with whole egg, chilli, flour and season. in separate bowl beat an egg white until stiff and fold into the sweetcorn mixture. Melt some butter in a frying pan with a touch of oil so it doesn't burn. Place large TBSP of the batter into the pan, this amount will make around 6 decent sized fritters. Leave the patties to go brown on one side then flip them over and cook over side. Drain them on some kitchen paper and eat as soon as you can bear the heat in your mouth. Keeping it fairly healthy I had these with some cooked beetroot and some salad but I've had them before with some smoked mackerel (good) and on another occasion with fresh sausages (great)! Once I had them with a bit of cream cheese and chilli jam - terribly bad for me but tasted sensational. 

St Patrick’s Day Shepherds Pie and random musings on corned beef

I’m late as ever to hop on to the Bandwagon. St Paddy’s Day. When I was a uni this used to be a big deal in my life. Now it’s not. I think the Americans get way more excited than the English about this day. The only whiff of it I got were a few random big hats on drunken men as I walked through London on the actual day. That and the huge amount of people mentioning it in blogs; American blogs of course. Lots of green food and corned beef. American corned beef looks so much different from English corned beef;
 

English Corned Beef

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Mainly used in sandwiches and corned beef hash

American Corned beef

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Apparently you guys have it with cabbage?!
 

The mind boogles. And what I really want to know is what is Irish corned beef? Whose right and who’s wrong. Thank goodness for Google and these dudes have explained the differences to me. Thank you Google.

Anyho, I digress, which is standard for me, sometimes I even interrupt myself, it’s not great. The entire paddy’s day chat made me think of another classic Irish recipe – Shepherds Pie. I remember having this a lot as a child and its one very easy but yummy dish. And anything with mash potato on has my vote. The layer of leeks really adds a different dimension to the dish and I recommend you give it a go, you wont look back. I make my shepherds pie with beef mince rather than lamb – which technically makes it cottage pie but I grew up knowing this as shepherds pie and so shepherds pie it remains.

So here’s the thing about my Shepherds Pie - I keep it so very simple. No fancy herbs and spices. No peas in with the mince, no twists or turns. This is simplicity at its best, meaty and comforting and very easy to make.

Shepherds Pie

Serves approx 4

500g Beef Mince

1 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
500ml stock (beef preferable but chicken or veg will work fine)
2TBSP tomato puree
Few dashes of Worcester sauce
Couple of gluts of red wine
1TSP Marmite (the British in me shines through, this is optional of course)
2 leeks
3TBSP Butter
Milk, I used skimmed
Grated cheese, I used strong Irish cheddar
 S&P

Start by sautéing the onions and carrots in a bit of oil over a medium heat. Once they have softened add in the mince and let it brown off. Add in the wine and the tomato puree and let it reduce by about half. Add in the stock, Worcester sauce and marmite and then allow it to simmer gently for a good 30-45mins. Season.

 In the mean time boil up some potatoes (I used a couple of big potatoes) and then mash them with a couple TBSP of butter, milk, a twist of salt and lots of black pepper.

As well as this, melt 1TBSP butter and a dash of oil in a pan and cook of the leeks until they are soft. I added a bit of wine to help them along!

Take an oven proof dish and spread out the mince mixture, then put the leeks on top and spread them out and then top with mash potato. Sprinkle with the cheese and then place in an oven 180° for about 30mins or if you’ve chilled it first then put it in for 45 mins or so until it is hot and bubbling.

I always had this with peas or baked beans when I was little and lots of tomato ketchup. This time I had with broccoli and sprouts and lots of tomato ketchup!