#No18 German Christmas Cooking

To end my calendar year of cooking I made my nan and mums German Potato salad. Traditionally made on Christmas Eve! It's a family favourite! Enjoy!

1) Boil potatoes in their skins.

2) Boil the eggs until hard and place in cold water.

3) Chop an onion and place in the bowl.

4) Fry diced bacon until crispy.

5) Peel the potatoes and chop.

6) Remove the shell and dice the egg. Add to potato and onion in the bowl.

7) Now add mayo and salad cream.

8) Season and enjoy!!! 

#No18 Brazilian Delights!

Well with only 2 days left of September, today was the day for a bit of Brazilian cooking. I hunted around for Brazilian recipes, surprisingly many were drink related! Eventually I found one which I could obtain all the ingredients: Coconut Curry!!

Here is the recipe, I adapted it slightly so my recipe with photos is below! Enjoy! 

My ingredients:

All the same except I used one large onion, 2 large cloves of garlic and replaced curry paste with cumin!

1. Slice onion and garlic.

2.Melt butter in a pan and add cumin. Then add coconut milk and simmer.

3. In another pan, sauté the garlic and onions until soft.

 4. Add cubed chicken and lightly cook.

5. When chicken is lightly cooked add the coconut mix. Cook on a high heat until boils and reduce to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Boil rice. After 20 mins add cornflour to coconut mix to thicken.

7. Serve over the rice! Viola!! Enjoy!

I know it looks very pale, I think that's the curry paste missing, however it tasted good. Even better with a popadum or two!!

#No18 Cooking Turkish style

August saw the country of Turkey as my recipe challenge. Having been to Turkey, I had fond memories of some wonderful meals- fish, kebabs on skewers-so I really wanted to attempt to make something that would be fit for a Turkish table. I searched the Internet for countless recipes however nothing really caught my eye until I spotted this one! It has a very strange name but I called it lamb kofta casserole! Enjoy if you make it- we did! 

First grate an onion, add two eggs, a teaspoon of cumin, chopped parsley, half and half a teaspoon of chilli flakes. Mix together. 

Add 500g of lamb mince and mix together. Then roll in to thick sausage shapes as below:

Slice the Aubergine in to chunks and sprinkle with salt. Leave to soak. Before adding to the casserole, use a paper towel to absorb excess water. 

Chop up carrots and peppers. Slide potatoes and place altogether, with the Aubergine in a casserole dish. Sprinkle with herbs and chilli flakes. 

Place the lamb koftas in between the vegetables. Then cover in chopped tomatoes and 300ml of water:

Place into the oven, 180 degrees for 50 mins approx. 

whilst it is cooking boil the rice:

Then Enjoy!!! We did! (Watch the chillis!!) 

Happy 4th of July!! #No18

Today, across the pond they celebrate their day of independence. Today, also my dear friends, Tom and Emily (the owners of Clippo the snake) welcomed their son into the world. Baby Ethan was born ( his own Independence Day!) 

Now I had already planned an all- American BBQ to celebrate the 4th of July, so we had something more special and exciting to celebrate! 

Here are the recipes for BBQ chicken and rocky roads, two classic American dishes! 

Rocky roads Ingredients:

1) Boil water in a pan and melt the chocolate in a boil over it. Add a knob of butter and two tbsp of golden syrup. 

2)Melt slowly. Then add the broken rich tea biscuits and chopped marshmallows. 

3) Mix together and spoon into a grease proof paper lined tray. 

4) Sprinkle with stars and place in the fridge to harden for a few hours. Enjoy!

BBQ chicken Ingredients:

1) Crush one clove of garlic.

2) Add 1 level tbsp of cornflour and 2 tbsp of caster sugar.

3) Add 2 tbsp of soy sauce, 4 tbsp of ketchup, 1 tbsp of Worcester sauce, 2 tbsp of wine vinegar. Add a dash or so of water.

4) Mix together. 

5) Smother the chicken in sauce. 

6) Cook in the oven for 35-40 mins.

7) Enjoy!! 

A celebratory BBQ! :-) 

#No18 Greek Cooking

I have a small confession to make - April and Thai food cooking did not happen! Well it did, but I didn't cook it. Sadly due to a very busy working month and a broken boiler and oven, I was unable to cook the Thai meal I had planned (I will do it at some point as I do have the recipe!). So instead I went out to a Thai restaurant, which was lovely.

So on to May and Greece. One of my favourite memories of Greece was their amazing food. The Greeks know how to cook, be in fish, oven dishes or mouthwatering salads they are all well made and full of flavour. On holiday in Thasos, I tried for the first time, Moussaka and fell in love with a tasty dish. Therefore it was easy to choose a dish to cook for Greece - Moussaka and a classic Greek salad. Please enjoy!

Moussaka

Adapted from http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/popular-ingredients/lamb/moussaka-recipe

Enjoy a taste of the Mediterranean with lovely lamb  Moussaka. Have a few plates of this flavoursome dish before succumbing to the Greek tradition of smashing your plate, not in disgust but in respect of the chef.

Serves 6

Ready in just over 2 hours

INGREDIENTS

• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 150-175ml olive oil
• 1kg lean lamb mince
• 100ml red wine
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon 
• 3 large aubergines, each weighing about 300g
• 75g butter
• 75g plain flour
• 600ml milk
• 50g Parmesan, finely grated
• Grated cheddar cheese
• 2 medium eggs, beaten

METHOD

How to make moussaka

1. Cook the onions and garlic in 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large frying pan until browned. Add the mince and fry over a high heat for 3-4 minutes. If your lamb is not lean, tip everything into a sieve set over a bowl and leave the cooking juices to settle. Spoon off and discard the fat and return the lamb to the pan with the juices. Add the red wine, canned tomatoes, cinnamon and simmer gently for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Meanwhile, slice the aubergines and brush with olive oil. Fry in batches on both sides in a separate pan until browned. Lay half the aubergine slices over the base of a 2.5-2.75-litre shallow ovenproof dish and season well. Spoon half of the sauce over the aubergines. Repeat with the remaining aubergines and sauce.

3. Preheat the oven to 200C/fan180C/gas 6. Melt the butter in a non-stick pan, then add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Lower the heat and gradually beat in the milk until thickened slightly, then simmer very gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cheese and nutmeg, and season. Cool slightly, then beat in the eggs. Pour the topping over the lamb and sprinkle the grated cheddar cheese. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling.

Greek Salad

Adapted from http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/1605/authentic-greek-salad.aspx You can add onions and olives but I removed these.

Ingredients  Serves : 6 

3 large ripe tomatoes, cut into medium pieces or wedges

1 cucumber, sliced

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

4 tablespoons olive oil

3/4 (200g) pack feta cheese, crumbled

1. In shallow salad bowl, combine tomatoes and cucumber. Sprinkle with salt to taste and let sit for a few minutes so that the salt can draw out the natural juices from the tomato and cucumber.
2. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with pepper to taste. Sprinkle feta cheese and olives over salad. Serve.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Tip:

Letting the salted tomatoes and cucumbers sit for awhile before adding any oil is essential to a good Greek salad. The natural acidic juices from the tomato combine with the olive oil to make a delicious dressing, with no need for vinegar or lemon juice. Crusty bread is also a must so you can mop up every last bit of juice!