Sunday 1 March 2015
Thursday 11 December 2014
Monday 8 December 2014
Saturday 15 November 2014
Salmon With Red-Wine Sauce
The success of this simple recipe lies in the quality of the wine. Choose a full-bodied red and you'll be rewarded with a richly colored, flavorful sauce.
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RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
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DIRECTIONS:
Heat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Put the oil in a small stainless-steel, enameled, or nonstick roasting pan and heat in the oven for 5 minutes.
Season the fish with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Put the fish in the hot pan; cook in the oven until just done, about 8 minutes.
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Remove the fish from the pan and transfer to paper towels to drain.
Pour off any oil remaining in the pan.
Put the pan over moderate heat and add the wine and the chopped scallion bulbs. Bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pan to dislodge any brown bits.
Cook until the wine is reduced to approximately 3 tablespoons, 1 to 2 minutes.
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Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the butter.
Season the sauce with a pinch each of salt and pepper. Put the fish on plates, browned-side up.
Sprinkle the scallion greens over the top. Spoon the sauce around the fish.
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Fish Alternatives
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Firm tuna steaks would taste delicious with the red-wine sauce.
Milder fish steaks to use include halibut and cod.
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Sunday 15 September 2013
Home Made Soup
Pea & Ham Soup
Another
one of my favourite soups and again very easy, you can tell by now I
like non-complicated recipes. When I first did this recipe it was to use
up some peas and ham rather than throw it out. 
It's good to get into the kitchen and cook, but we don't want to be a slave to it do we?
It's good to get into the kitchen and cook, but we don't want to be a slave to it do we?
Ingredients:
1tbsp butter
1 onion sliced
1 leek trimmed & sliced
1 litre vegetable stock****
450g / 1lb shelled peas****
200g lean ham (smoked if preferred)****
1 bay leaf
1tbsp fresh chopped tarragon (dried if fresh unavailable)
4tbsp double cream
salt and pepper to taste
Method:
* Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.
* Add the onion and cook, stirring until slightly softened.
* Add the leek and cook for a further 2 minutes stirring together.
* Stir in the stock, then add the peas, ham, bay leaf and tarragon.
* Season with salt and pepper.
* Bring to the boil, turn heat down and simmer for another 30minutes.
* Remove the bay leaf and leave to cool for 10 minutes.
* Transfer half the soup to a food processor, or bowl and blend until it is smooth.
* Return to the pan with the rest of the soup, stir in the cream and cook over a low heat for another 5 minutes.
* Turn of the heat and ladle the soup into warmed bowls.
tastes better
Tips:
If home made vegetable stock is unavailable, then use a vegetable stock cube.
Frozen peas can be used as well.
If using smoked ham be cautious when adding salt. As some smoked hams can be salty.
* Serve with crusty rolls or french stick.
Credit to Yahoo images:
Happy cooking
Glo
GloNo More chewy Meat
Why no More Chewy Meat
Pork ChopsContinued shopping and felt quite pleased at that offer.
Cooked them the usual way for us and roasted them, roast potatoes, carrots, brussel sprouts the works. They were to be truthful a complete disaster, chewy and ruined the whole meal, "oh well" we said "that was why they were on offer".
After a few mumbles during the evening we carried on as normal. What do I do I still have four more in the freezer.
It was a few weeks later, I just had to use these darn chops up, then it hit me we braise meat so why not chops? out came my trusted 'Slow Cooker' Do you know what they were Perfect.
We had the last two today for lunch and this is the reason I am sharing this with you, I wish I had thought about it earlier. What I did is so simple as well., as there is only two of us my ingredients will relate to this.
Ingredients:
2 Pork Chops
1 onion chopped
1/2 can button mushrooms chopped (or fresh)*
Sage & Dill (Optional)
Stock cube*
Oil for frying
Method:
First I put a little water in the Slow Cooker and switch on to high, this is just to warm it through whilst I am doing the chops,
I add the chopped mushrooms at the same time, as these are already cooked it is not a problem.I use a solid base frying pan, with a little oil put over a low heat with a 1/2 tsp of Sage & the same with Dill.
When the pan is hot enough just lightly brown the two chops on either
side to seal them. Place them both in the Slow Cooker on top of the
mushrooms and replace lidThen using the same pan as it still has the juices from the meat, I lightly fry the onions to soften and again place them on top of the chops.
Then
I add the water and stock cube to the pan and bring to the boil, once
boiled I add this to the Slow Cooker, place the lid on and leave.As you know you can leave your Slow Cooker on all day, I started these about 11am and then had dinner for 6.30pm,3//4 of the way through turn the chops over and at this point you can thicken your gravy, with either bisto or cornflour. I use bisto but if you do use cornflour make sure you mix it with cold water first to a paste then add slowly.
Whilst this is doing I prepare my vegetables. Today it is White Cabbage and Green Beans and some stuffing balls which I male a batch in advance and freeze.T
his is where I do a bit of cheating, hey it is Sunday and I don't wan't to be in the kitchen more than I can help.
I cook my cabbage, my green beans in advance and put in a Microwavable dish, so when the roast potatoes and the chops are ready, all I have to do is pop them in the microwave to heat up and serve.
All we have to do is eat it.Tips:
**If I use fresh mushrooms I usually half & quarter and fry gently just to soften.
**The stock cube is usually chicken for white meat but that is my choice.
* *I always chop my white cabbage with a little butter and pepper, but again it's a personal choice.**You may have some gravy left over? I always make a casserole the next day to use it up or freeze it. The only thing with gravy if does not freeze well once it has been thickened, it goes watery.
Happy eating.
Thursday 15 August 2013
Boiled Fruit Cake
This has to be one of my easiest to make yet, and to be honest I get a good result each time with this recipe.
Ingredients:
900g ( 2lb ) dried mixed fruit
250ml (8 fl oz) water
225g ( 8oz ) caster sugar
170g ( 6oz ) butter
230g ( 8oz ) plain flour
2 medium eggs (beaten)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soad
1 tsp of mixed spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
Preparation & method:
Preheat oven to 150 C / Gas 2
Grease cake 8inch** cake tin and line with greaseproof paper.
Combine he water, dried fruit, butter and sugar in large saucepan over medium heat.
Bring to the boil stirring occasionally, then simmer gently for 10 minutes.
When this is done leave to cool approximately 6/10minutes**
Sift flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices into a large mixing bowl and blend in.
Pour in the cooled cake mixture, and stir well until blended making sure there are no pockets of flour at the bottom.
Mix in the eggs.
At this stage the mixture will look sloppy and pale, that is normal.
Pour into lined cake tin.
Bake for approximately 90 minutes in pre-heated oven.Test after 80 minutes with a skewer inserted into the top of the cake, it should come out clean.
Cool cake in tin for at least 10 minutes before removing and placing on wire rack to continue cooling.
Tips***
I use a 9inch cake tin, sometimes a deeper 7 inch both work perfectly well.
If you don't let your cake cool enough before adding to flour mixture, it could cause lumps.
Last Christmas I used this recipe but instead of all mixed fruit I added chopped cherries, mixed peal and some chopped walnuts.
Just make sure when adding other ingredients, you take out the equivalent in dried fruit and it still comes to 2lb's.
Happy cooking.
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