Thursday 30 September 2010

Spicy Egg Wraps

I like trying different things for breakfast. My sister is currently in Laos and eating lots of egg for breakfast, and if she's lucky rice. I wouldn't mind rice for breakfast, but I'm not so sure about eating egg every day. This eggy breakfast was delicious though.



I was a bit alarmed by pouring the egg onto the bread in the pan as it all leaked over the sides of the bread, but it stuck to the bread even where it leaked. It was mildly spicy, so a good wake up but not blow your head off spicy and the salad and yoghurt were also lovely and refreshing.

Spicy Egg Wraps (From Good Food Magazine September 2010)
(Serves 2)

1 little gem lettuce, shredded
2 tomatoes, chopped
small piece cucumber, roughly chopped
few pinches chilli powder
2 chapatis
2 eggs
2 tbsp low fat natural yoghurt

Mix the lettuce, cucumber, tomato, coriander and a pinch of chilli powder in a bowl.
Put a chapati in a dry non-stick frying pan over a moderate heat until toasted on the underside. Meanwhile beat one egg with a pinch of chilli powder and a little seasoning.

Turn the chapati over, then pour the egg over the surface, spreading it to the edges. When the egg has set around the edges, quickly flip it over (don't worry if the egg spills into the pan a little) and cook for a few secs more. Invert onto a serving plate so the egg is no top.

Spread the salad down the centre of the chapati, drizzle with yoghurt and roll up.

Tuesday 28 September 2010

Lemon Chicken with Spring Veg Noodles

I made these noodles a little while ago, when I was eating out of the freezer and store cupboard. I changed the original recipe and used runner beans and broad beans, as that's what I had, and I used an orange instead of a lemon to create the sauce. It was still a very easy tasty and filling meal. The original recipe is posted below but it's easy to change and adapt to the ingredients you have.



Lemon Chicken with Spring Veg Noodles (adapted from Good Food Magazine May 2008)
(Serves 2)

1 tbsp sunflower oil
2 skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
zest and juice 1 lemon
1 tbsp caster sugar
2 tbsp grated fresh root ginger
2 tsp cornflour
125g pack or 2 sheets medium dried egg noodles
200g frozen peas and bean mix
4 spring onions, sliced

Heat the oil in a non-stick pan, then fry the chicken for 5 mins until almost cooked. Tip onto a plate. Pour 150ml water into the pan with the lemon zest and juice, sugar and ginger.

In a bowl, mix the cornflour with a little water until smooth, then whisk into the pan. Bring to the boil, stirring, then add the chicken to the sauce. Reduce the heat. Bubble for a few mins until chicken is cooked and the sauce thickened.

Meanwhile, cook the noodles and veg together in boiling water for 4 mins, then drain. Toss together the chicken, noodles, veg and spring onions and serve.

Monday 27 September 2010

Curry Courgette Soup

Whilst I was still trying to use up some of my very large courgettes, I made lots of courgette soup, as many as my soup containers could hold! One of these was this Curry Courgette Soup and I even have some for lunch today!

My Mum actually met Elaine Borish on one of the Cruises that my parents went on last year and recommended the book to me. I bought the book and promptly put it somewhere and forgot about it, I think I had run out of courgettes by the time I bought it! I found it again this year and have been making some of the recipes out of it. It is definitely helping me to clear those courgettes that have been sitting on the side!

The heart made of creme fraiche wasn't deliberate, I only noticed it when I downloaded the photo to my computer! Having said that it was a really tasty soup and I was intrigued by the use of rice rather than potato to thicken the soup, which worked really rather well.



Curry Courgette Soup (from What Will I Do With All These Courgettes? - Elaine Borish)
(Serves 6-8)

3-4 medium courgettes, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
50g rice
600ml chicken stock
1 tsp salt
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp mustard
100-225g yoghurt

Place the courgette, onion, rice, chicken stock and salt in a large pot.

Add water, if necessary, to cover the courgette and simmer until the courgettes are tender, about 15 mins.

Blend in a food processor together with curry powder, mustard and yoghurt.

Sunday 26 September 2010

Crockpot Barbeque Pulled Pork

I finally used my crockpot for something other than chilli or apple sauce! I made Barbecue Pulled Pork from Steph at A Year of Slow Cooking. I have never eaten pulled pork before but it always looks so good that I had to try it. I did use a very cheap cut of pork shoulder, which seemed to let out an awful lot of water and I didn't really end up with a sauce, just a watery tomato ketchup mixture. So I made some barbecue sauce to go with the pulled pork. My Mum used to make this sauce all the time when I was little, it is really lovely with chicken thighs, but it was also delicious with this pulled pork. I served it with plain boiled rice.



Smokey Barbecue Sauce

1 oz butter
1/4 pint water
1 tbsp mustard
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp demerera sugar
1 garlic clove
1 slice of lemon
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp wine vinegar
pinch cayenne pepper
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp tomato ketchup
1/2 tbsp tomato puree
salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a saucepan and fry the onion and garlic until soft but not brown. Add the vinegar, water, mustard, sugar, lemon, bay leaf and cayenne pepper. Bring slowly to the boil and simmer for 15 mins.

Stir in the remaining ingredients with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for a further 5-10mins. Remove the bay leaf and lemon before serving with barbecued meats.

Saturday 25 September 2010

Smoked Haddock and Sweetcorn Chowder

I had several bowls of calm chowder when I was in Boston back in April, but clams are difficult to get here unless they're in a tin and they are really salty, so when I came across this recipe for smoked haddock chowder, I knew I had to try it. I love the comforting nature of this soup, it's creamy and filling with the potatoes and also packed full of veg. What could be better?



Smoked Haddock Chowder (from Good Food Magazine January 2005)
(Serves 4)

450g undyed smoked haddock fillet, skinned
1 bay leaf
850ml milk
25g butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp plain flour
1 garlic clove, crushed
100g french beans, chopped into 2in pieces
125ml dry sherry
pinch of paprika
225g floury potatoes, peeled and diced
100g frozen or canned sweetcorn kernels

Put the fish in a frying pan with the bay leaf and milk. Bring to a simmer, then cover and set aside for 10 mins. Lift out the fish with a slotted spoon, flake roughly, discarding any bones, and strain the milk.

Melt the butter in a large frying pan and cook the onion over a low heat for 3-4 mins until softened. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for a minute, then tip in the garlic and green beans and cook for a further 5 mins. Now stir in the sherry and simmer until almost all the liquid has disappeared.

Add the paprika and potatoes, pour in the poaching milk and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 15 mins, add the sweetcorn and cook for 5 mins more. Remove from the heat and gently fold in the fish. To serve, scatter over some chopped fresh parsley and accompany with the garlic bread.

Saturday 18 September 2010

Mild Potato Curry topped with Smoked Haddock and Poached Egg

I seem to have an awful lot of smoked haddock in the freezer. I'm not quite sure where it's come from but I'm slowly trying out new recipes using it. This is one that has sat in my recipe folder for ages and I finally got around to trying it. It was much less filling that champ with smoked haddock and a poached egg, which I often find difficult to finish, and the potatoes had a lovely mild spiciness that complimented the smoked haddock.


Mild potato curry topped with smoked haddock and poached egg
(Serves 4)

For the potato curry
350g/12oz waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm/½in dice
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1/2 tsp yellow mustard seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
salt and freshly ground black pepper
100g onions, chopped, finely
2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 tsp coriander, chopped roughly
4 x 100g pieces of undyed smoked haddock fillet

For the topping
2 tsp white wine vinegar
4 eggs

For the potato curry, cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 6-7 minutes until tender, then drain.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds and, when they begin to pop, add the turmeric and onions. Fry for 5 minutes or until the onions are soft and lightly browned. Add the potatoes and some salt and pepper and fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the coriander, set aside and keep warm.

Bring about 5cm/2in of water to the boil in a shallow pan. Add the pieces of smoked haddock, bring back to a simmer and poach for 4 minutes. Lift out with a slotted spoon, cover and keep warm.

Discard the fish poaching liquor, pour another 5cm/2in of water into the pan and bring to a very gentle simmer. The water should be just trembling and there should be a few bubbles rising up from the bottom of the pan. Add the vinegar, break in the eggs and poach for 3 minutes. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain briefly on kitchen paper.

To serve, spoon the potato curry into the centre of 4 warmed plates. Remove the skin from each piece of haddock and put it on top of the potatoes. Put a poached egg on top of the fish and serve.

Wednesday 15 September 2010

Daring Cooks September 2010: Oven Roasted Tomatoes

The September 2010 Daring Cooks’ challenge was hosted by John of Eat4Fun. John chose to challenge The Daring Cooks to learn about food preservation, mainly in the form of canning and freezing. He challenged everyone to make a recipe and preserve it. John’s source for food preservation information was from The National Center for Home Food Preservation.

I picked the Oven Roasted Tomatoes because I have had a tonne of tomatoes from the garden this year and I'm slowly running out of ideas of what to do with them! I actually used oregano instead of the basil called for as that's what I had in. I loved this recipe, the tomatoes came out of the oven so sweet and juicy. I had some in a salad last week and they were so good. I froze these ones as suggested, but last year I made some similar, canned them and used them throughout the winter to remind me of that lovely summery taste.



Recipe: Oven Roasted Tomatoes (for Freezing)

10-12 Tomatoes, cut in half or thirds. Core if needed
3 fresh basil leaves, chiffonade (Cut into thin strips)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1-2 pinches salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Lay the tomato halves out on a baking tray and sprinkle over the garlic, basil, salt and cloves. Poor over the olive oil. Bake in the oven at 325 F for an hour or until slightly browned.

The finished tomatoes can be stored as-cut, chopped or pureed to make a sauce or tomato paste

Monday 13 September 2010

Lemon Pasta with Courgette and Feta

Whilst browsing for courgette recipes a couple of weeks ago, I cam across this delicious sounding pasta dish from Tracy at Sugar Crafter. It looked so simple and included two of my favourite ingredients, lemon and cheese, and courgettes of which I have way too many and it lived up to my expectations. I had it for lunch on Saturday and it was so good. It reminded me of the beautiful summer we've had which sadly now seems to have disappeared.

I am entering this into Presto Pasta Nights, this week hosted by Abby of eat the right stuff, check out her blog on Friday for the round up.



Lemon Pasta with Courgette and Feta
(Serves 1)

2 handfuls farfalle pasta
1 small courgette
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic
1 lemons, juiced
1/2 cup feta cheese
Fresh parsley

Chop up the garlic cloves into small chunks, and slice the courgette. Quarter the courgette slices.

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the packet.

In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter and olive oil over low heat. Add in the minced garlic and lemon juice, and then sauté for 1-2 minutes or until the garlic is tender.

Add in the zucchini and cook 3-4 minutes longer until the courgette begins to brown and has soaked in the lemon flavor.

Toss the lemon-zucchini mixture with the cooked pasta, and then sprinkle the feta cheese over the top. Scatter chopped parsley over the top.

Sunday 12 September 2010

Two Beef and Rice Bento

Just a couple of Bento today:

Sticky Rice, Beef and Green Beans, Red Pepper in Oyster Sauce with Sesame Seeds.



Sticky Rice with Pickled Ginger on top, Beef and Green Pepper Stir Fry.



Beef and Green Pepper Stir Fry (from Bento Love by Kentaro Kobayashi)
(Serves 1)

100g thinly sliced beef
1 large green pepper
1/2 clove garlic
1/2 nub ginger
salt and pepper
1 tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp oil

Cut the beef into bit sized chunks. Deseed the green pepper and cut into thin strips. Mince the garlic and ginger.

Add the oil to a heated pan and saute the garlic and ginger until fragrant. Add the beef and saute over a a medium high heat.

When meat is lightly browned add the green peppers. Lightly season with salt and pepper.

When the green peppers are tender quickly pour in the oyster sauce and soy sauce. Stir and coat.

Friday 10 September 2010

Presto Pasta Nights #180: The Round Up



This week I am proud to host Presto Pasta Nights #180. Thank you so much for all your entries. We have a fantastic line up of pasta and noodle dishes from all around the world for you to try.

If I have left anyone out, please let me know and I will add you to the round up. So without further ado...here we go!

The first submission this week is Taco Twist Bake made by Debbi from Debbi does Dinner. It is fantastic when basic ingredients you've eaten over and over again are put together in a casserole and come out wonderfully, and even better when the dish comes back clean!



Next was Deb from Kahakai Kitchen with her very sexy Pasta with Browned Butter, Sage and Parmesan from Mark Bittman. Simple and quick with good quality ingredients is definitely sexy!



Tigerfish of Teczcape - an escape to food made this wonderful Korean Japchae. It looks so fresh and is a great way to use up those veggies from the garden.



Next we have Joanne at Eats Well With Others with her crunchy, no make that creamy Cold Peanut Noodles with Eggplant and Red Pepper. I definitely come down on the creamy side with peanut butter, but crunchy or creamy this dish looks fantastic.



Aparna from Apy Cooking! gave us her vegetarian Lasagna with Ricotta and Roasted Vegetable Sauce. I would never have thought of adding roasted veg to the tomato sauce in lasagne and this looks delicious.



Lime Cake, a PPN first timer joined us with her delicious Pasta All'Amatriciana. I, for one, am hoping we get many more pasta recipes from her in the future to drool over.



Andrea of Nummy Kitchen, another PPN first timer made this awesome sounding Creamy Asparagus Penne. She, like me, adores asparagus and now her kids do too, well maybe not adore, but they did finish their plates!



Julie from a Little Bit of Everything made Pasta Pan-Fried with Butternut Squash, Fried Sage, and Walnuts, a perfect dish for the chilly autumn weather that is starting to creep in.



Anu from Truth Personified sent in this delectable Veggie Fusillagna, combining lots of veggies and two sorts of pasta together.



Elizabeth from blog from OUR kitchen came with smoked salmon, dill and capers in spaghettini, she even smoked her own salmon on the BBQ and used it in this dish! It sounds amazing.



Abby from eat the right stuff added her beautiful Orecchiette with Pistachios. I love the colour combinations of the green and pink of the pistachios, with the red chilli and the pasta.



And this is my dish for this week is Tagliatelle with Mixed Seafood and Courgette.



I hope you enjoyed the round up Next week the lovely Abby of eat the right stuff will be hosting Presto Pasta Nights for the third time! So submit your dishes to her for the round up next Friday.

Thursday 9 September 2010

Holiday Cooking

My Mum did the majority of the cooking whilst we were away and my first Mummy cooked meal when I got home was this ginger prawn, scallop and courgette risotto, which she made up one day when she had prawns that needed eating. I have to say it was really delicious and we all had second helpings. The ginger came through, but wasn't too strong and overpowering, this is definitely one for the folder.



This is a side dish I made, it's a potato and courgette gratin with cheddar cheese on top. That was also delicious, with the crispy potatoes on top and the creamy potato and courgette underneath. It made a fantastic accompaniment to the meat we had.


Potato and Courgette Gratin
(Serves 4)

3 medium courgettes, sliced
3 medium potatoes, sliced
1 small tub of double cream
handful of cheese, grated
2 cloves of garlic, sliced

Layer some of the potatoes in the bottom of an oven proof dish, then layer the courgettes on top, scatter some of the garlic on top of this. Then repeat the layers until you have filled the dish up. Pour the cream over the dish and scatter the cheese on top.

Bake in the oven at 200C for about 45 mins to 1 hour.

Saturday 4 September 2010

Presto Pasta Nights #180



This week I am privileged to be hosting Presto Pasta Nights, the brain child of Ruth at Once Upon a Feast. So if you have a pasta or noodle dish, of any type or cuisine, just email me the link at feglet98 (at) hotmail (dot) com by Thursday evening and I will add it to the round up, which will be here on Friday.

My submission to this week's round up is Tagliatelle with Mixed Seafood and Courgette.


I have to confess that I forgot to check whether I had any dill before I started cooking, so I had to use basil instead, but dill would definitely be better! I also came back from holiday to some enormous courgettes, the biggest was 2 foot, and I have slowly but surely been putting them into everything, as well as making lots and lots of soup, so feel free to leave them out if you don' t have any, this dish would be just as delicious without them.

Tagliatelle with Mixed Seafood and Courgette
(Serves 2)

1 tbsp unsalted butter
400g pack frozen mixed seafood, defrosted
1 courgette, grated
100ml vermouth or white wine
250g tagliatelle
150ml crème fraîche
2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
salt and pepper

Cook the tagliatelle according to pack instructions, then drain and return to the pan.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a frying pan until foaming. Add the mixed seafood and cook for 2-3 mins over a medium to high heat, stirring occasionally, add in the grated courgette and cook for 2-3 more mins.
Pour in the vermouth or wine and cook for 3-4 mins until the liquid has reduced by half and the prawns have turned pink.

Stir the crème fraîche and the dill into the seafood, heat through for 2 minutes then stir into the pasta. Season to taste and serve immediately.